Magistrates' Courts Feel the Pinch During Pingdemic

The Magistrates Association has warned that courtrooms across England and Wales are being closed due to an increase in staff and judiciary being "pinged" by the NHS covid app.

Tom Franklin, the recently installed chief executive of the Association, told the i newspaper: "There have certainly been courts closed in some places because legal advisers have been 'pinged' and there aren't any spare to stand in as everyone is working at full stretch.

"We anticipate that if the current trend continues in the next few weeks there will be more court closures as a result of insufficient court personnel."

Mr Franklin highlighted the case of a particular Magistrates Association member, whose court had run into difficulties because a number of probation officers were self-isolating. The problem was further exacerbated by an increased number of lay Justices deciding they didn't feel safe enough to sit in court.

Mr Franklin said that the current staffing problems were part of a much wider picture, with England and Wales currently experiencing a short-fall of lay Justices and those trained to perform certain roles. He cited London as being particularly short of Presiding Justices and those on the Family Panel.

"There is absolutely no slack in the system - working with minimal staff and Magistrates just doesn't provide a sufficiently robust system to get over these problems without impact on the service we provide. The Magistrates Association estimates that more than 3,000 more volunteer Magistrates are needed to run the courts efficiently."

Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) denied that the NHS covid app was having a significant impact on the delivery of justice.

As I have mentioned previously, the number of courts in my own area was significantly reduced at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. In the last couple of months the workload has returned to about the same as before.

I am aware of colleagues who do not yet feel confident enough to return to court, but there are many more, like myself, who are prepared to pick up the slack.