Deputy Prime Minister announces investment to ensure criminal courts in England and Wales can see as many cases as possible
Record levels of funding for the Criminal Crown Court in England and Wales have been announced, in a bid to ensure the service runs as maximum capacity.
Photo by ALEJANDRO POHLENZ / Unsplash
For 2026-27, £2.785bn will be provided for courts and tribunals, up from some £2.5bn last year. The new funding includes £2.498bn in resource funding and £287m in capital investment.
What’s more, for the first time, the settlement includes firm commitments for the next three years, through to 2028-29, providing long-term stability for the justice system.
Under the agreement, there will be no limit on the number of days in which crown courts can hear cases the next financial year, so that if the system has the capacity to hear a case, it will go ahead. The government says this means more victims will see justice done.
In addition, magistrates’ courts will be funded to their highest operational capacity. T
The £287m capital investment will go into the fabric of the court estate, delivering vitally needed repairs and digital upgrades to court buildings across the country.
David Lammy MP, Deputy Prime Minister, says: ‘This government inherited a justice system on the brink of collapse with victims facing unacceptable delays and we took immediate action to increase sitting days to deliver fairer and faster justice for victims. But victims still face intolerable delays. That is why I have agreed with the judiciary to fund unlimited sitting days in the Crown Court next year so they can sit at their maximum and so we can turn the tide on the backlog as quickly as possible.
Investment alone will not be enough to deliver timely justice – which is why it has to be combined with our pragmatic reforms and modernisation.’
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