Statement from Courts Minister, on the latest Crown Court
backlog figures. The latest publication can be found online
here.
Minister for Courts and Legal Services, KC, said:
As the latest figures indicate, record investment, greater
efficiency, and increased sitting days are starting to
stabilise the backlog - but they cannot reverse it alone.
Only structural reform can turn the tide to deliver faster
justice for victims.
We're moving in the right direction, but the scale of the
challenge is stark. In the most serious cases, victims are
waiting longer than ever - and at this pace, it could take nearly
300 years to clear the backlog.
It's encouraging to see our work beginning to pay off but there's
no room for complacency - we know there is a long road to go."
Guidance:
- The Crown Court caseload has reduced by 37 cases from 80,098
at the end of December 2025 to 80,061 at the end of March 2026.
- The number of cases waiting more than 1 year has risen to
over 22,000, of which almost 7,000 are violence against the
person and over 5,000 are sexual offences. More than 1 in 10 of
these cases are rape cases.
- Time from receipt at the Crown Court to completion for rape
cases took an average of one year (365 days).
- It is only by delivering pragmatic structural reform to how
and where some criminal cases are heard, on top of record
financial investment and a series of efficiencies, that we can
free up jury trial capacity to truly turn the tide on the
backlog, reduce the delays and deliver swifter justice for the
most serious cases.
- We have delivered a plan, based on the recommendations of Sir
Brian Leveson, that will ensure the Crown Court never faces this
crisis again.
- Taken together, the Courts and Tribunals Bill's Impact
Assessment shows that measures in the Bill reduce demand in the
Crown Court by nearly 20%.
- Everyone has, and will always have, the right to a fair
trial. But there is no right to trial by jury and over 90% of all
criminal cases are already heard, fairly, in the magistrates'
courts without a jury.
- Alongside reforms in the Courts and Tribunals Bill, the
Government has:
-
- Announced investment of up to £92 million more per year
for criminal legal aid solicitor fees and up to £34m more a
year for criminal legal aid advocate fees.
- Removed the financial limit on Crown Court sitting days
for 2026/27, so the Crown Court can hear as many cases as
possible to speed up justice for victims.
- Increased magistrates' courts' sentencing powers from 6
to 12 months so that Crown Court time can be reserved for the
most serious and complex cases.
- Supported the judiciary to publish the first ever
National Listing Framework, pilot an AI Listing Assistant,
and undertake more blitz courts'
- Announced the roll-out of case coordinators to every
Crown Court centre and investment in video
infrastructure for remote hearings
- We are considering the remainder of Sir Brian's
recommendations in his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts,
and we will publish our response to his report over the summer.
