Bolton MP calls for action on staggering court case backlogs

The latest figures show that across the country there are more than 68,000 cases waiting to be heard at Crown Courts and more than 380,000 backed up at Magistrates Courts.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East and former criminal barrister says she has repeatedly called for the government to take action.

She said: “These new figures show that the government has failed to tackle the court backlogs.

“I have raised this repeatedly year after year and every year I have been promised action.

Yasmin Qureshi MP has called on the government to address the state of the courts (Image: Henry Lisowski)

“The government clearly do not have the plan, or the will, to get the backlog down.

“There are some immediate fixes to the problems, like allowing associate prosecutors to take on more complex cases, something as a qualified prosecuting barristers I know will help alleviate some of the pressure.

“I will continue to campaign and speak up for residents across Bolton and Walkden who are being denied justice.”

The figures released by the Ministry of Justice show that as of April this year there were 68,125 outstanding cases in the Crown Courts and 387,042 in the Magistrates’ Courts.

This was a sharp rise on the year before, when there were 60,760 Crown Court cases waiting to be heard, with 338,866 magistrates’ court cases.

In a historic first in the autumn off 2022, criminal barristers launched an all out strike in protest against low pay for those starting out in the profession and cuts to legal aid budgets.

But since then, concerns about funding cuts and the growing case backlog have continued.

Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson said: “It is alarming to see the criminal court backlogs continue to spiral.

“It is unacceptable that victims, witnesses and defendants are having to wait so long, with their lives in limbo, to access justice.

“The criminal justice system is in crisis with huge backlogs of cases, crumbling courts and overcrowded prisons.

“There simply are not enough judges and lawyers to work on all the cases and we have heard concerning reports that court buildings are not being used to their full capacity.

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“A recent report by the National Audit Office correctly highlighted the decline in lawyers working in the criminal defence profession which is due to a reduction in legal aid fees, increasing levels of stress and poor working conditions.

“It also rightly pointed to the dilapidated state of much of the court estate and the failure to deliver prisoners to court on time as factors which only add to the delays.

“Sustained investment across the criminal justice system must be a priority for the next UK government.”

Standing for the newly redrawn seat of Bolton South and Walkden will be Labour’s Yasmin Qureshi, Independent Don Prof Reis Abraham Halliwell PRF, Conservative Mohammed Afzal, Gemma Bowker of the Liberal Democrats, Jack Khan of the Workers Party, Philip Kochitty of the Green Party and Reform UK’s Julie Pattison.