The magistrates’ courts in England and Wales that hear more than 90 per cent of criminal cases are now in such a dilapidated state that access to justice is being undermined, fresh research has revealed.
The damning conclusion comes after a survey that looked at more than a third of magistrates’ courts, or 57 court buildings, and found that 75 per cent could not be accessed adequately either by the public or the magistrates themselves — at a time when 305 sitting days in 2022 were already lost through lack of maintenance of buildings.
The report, published by the Magistrates’ Association, focused on accessibility for those with disabilities, including magistrates.
Almost two thirds were found to be in need of improvement, because of failings such
