Government extends operation of 30 ‘Nightingale Courts’ but closes a further 22

The MoJ said that the continued use of some of these Nightingale Courts in areas such as the South East, London and the Midlands would “help drive court recovery and reduce delays”.

However, it suggested that in places such as the North West, the number of outstanding cases has dropped significantly in recent months, meaning that the majority of the temporary courts are no longer needed. They will wind down at the end of March 2022.

Justice Minister, James Cartlidge, said: “Nightingale Courts continue to be a valuable weapon in the fight against the pandemic’s unprecedented impact on our courts providing temporary extra capacity.

“Combined with other measures – such as removing the cap on Crown Court sitting days, more use of remote hearings, and increasing magistrate sentencing powers – we are beginning to see the backlog drop so victims can get the speedier justice they deserve.”

The sites the Ministry said would remain open until March 2023 are:

• Prospero House, London (three Crown court rooms)
• Barbican, London (two Crown court rooms)
• Croydon Jurys Inn, London (two Crown court rooms)
• Mercure Hotel, Maidstone (two Crown court rooms)
• Former court, Chichester (two Crown court rooms)
• Former county court, Telford (three civil and family court rooms)
• Park Hall Hotel, Wolverhampton (two Crown court rooms)
• Maple House, Birmingham (two Crown court rooms and two civil family and/or tribunal court rooms)
• Former Magistrates court, Fleetwood (two civil and family court rooms)
• Cloth Hall court, Leeds (three Crown court rooms)
• Civic Centre, Swansea (one Crown court room)
• Former Magistrates’ court, Cirencester (one Crown court room, one Magistrates rooms)

The MoJ added that negotiations to secure a new two-courtroom venue in London to replace the Nightingale at Monument were ongoing.

It said the sites which are closing “as planned” were not needed because HMCTS had reopened existing hearing rooms as social distancing measures eased. They are:

• 102 Petty France, London (four family court rooms)
• Monument, London (two Crown court rooms)
• Jury’s Inn Hotel, Middlesbrough (two civil and family court rooms)
• Knights’ chamber and visitor Centre, Peterborough (one Crown court room)
• Mercure Hotel, Nottingham (two Crown court rooms)
• M40 J15 Warwick Hotel, Warwick (two Crown court rooms)
• Hilton Hotel, Manchester (two Crown court rooms)
• Hilton Hotel, Liverpool (one Crown court room)
• University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton (one Crown court room)
• Crowne Plaza, Chester (two Crown court rooms)
• The Guildhall, Winchester (three civil family and/or tribunal court rooms)

The MoJ claimed that measures it has taken to drive court recovery are beginning to have an impact on backlogs, with the latest figures showing that in December 2021 the Crown Court backlog dropped to under 59,000.

It said that following the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, courtroom capacity had returned to pre-pandemic levels.