Ten cases a day - how 'blitz courts' could tackle the Crown Court backlog
The concept is not a new idea. Blitz hearings are sometimes used to speed up cases in exceptional circumstances, such as after the 2011 summer riots in England, which saw large numbers of public disorder hearings.From this month, the government is expanding the use of blitz courts as part of a package of measures to try to get through caseloads in England and Wales.The money will come from £2.7bn of government funding for courts and tribunals for this financial year, an increase from £2.5bn during the previous 12 months.There are around 80,000 cases waiting to be heard in crown courts in England and Wales - with levels double those before the pandemic.The backlog is expected to rise to more than 100,000 by the end of this year and it is predicted there could be 200,000 cases waiting to be heard by 2035 if nothing changes.Victims of crimes, some of whom have been told that their cases will not be heard until 2030, say the long waits are unacceptable and are calling for urgent changes.From April, the Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, will use two courts to run blitz hearings. They will focus on assaults of emergency workers, with more than 600 cases of this kind waiting to be heard.
