Barristers have welcomed the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) announcement that Harrow Crown Court has reopened after nearly three years.
The court, originally built in 1991, was forced to close in August 2023 amid the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) crisis, which saw hundreds of schools, hospitals and other public buildings shut down for essential repairs.
The MoJ says it has spent £26 million on a safety overhaul of Harrow Crown Court, while also installing more up-to-date courtroom technology in its 8 courtrooms.
But the Bar Council and South Eastern Circuit Leader are questioning how much of this money could truly be considered an ‘investment’, considering work to remedy the RAAC concrete should be considered essential repairs.
Claire Davies KC, criminal silk and Leader of the South Eastern Circuit, told parliament about the impact of Harrow’s closure at a Public Bill Committee meeting on March 25 as she gave evidence on the Bar’s opposition to government plans to curtail jury trials.
She said: “Wood Green was using Hendon Magistrates' as 4 Crown courtrooms, and it got its backlog down to near pre-Covid levels. When Harrow closed, Wood Green lost those 4 Crown courtrooms, because of course Harrow had to function somewhere. The consequence was that Wood Green’s backlog went up. That is a simple example of what extra court space does […] That is without any other efficiencies, and we say that the efficiencies must be tried first.”
Commenting on Harrow’s reopening, Claire Davies KC said: “I welcome Harrow Crown Court’s reopening and am pleased that its 8 courtrooms will once again be in service to help tackle court backlogs. This now frees up the Courts at Hendon Magistrates and others on Circuit, creating more capacity which we hope to see being utilised at this crucial time with immediate effect.”
The Bar Council argues that the MoJ should be focusing its attentions on refurbishing and modernising courts across the board to cut criminal backlogs, rather than pursuing its plans to reduce jury trials.
Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Bar Council, added: “The opening of Harrow Crown Court closed for nearly three years will assist reducing cases waiting to be heard. Focus should be on opening courts with sufficient staff, bringing in increases to legal aid promised five months ago and prioritising a domestic abuse and sexual offences court, instead of draining resources into cutting jury trials which is the only part of the system that is still working.”
Our ‘Justice needs juries’ campaign argues there is no evidence restricting the right to jury trials will reduce the current Crown Court backlog of 80,000 cases. We need urgent investment to address the inefficiencies in the system so that criminal trials are no longer delayed by crumbling court buildings, or the failure of prisoner transport to bring defendants to court on time.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill is undergoing line by line scrutiny by the Public Bill Committee this week and considering amendments supported by the Bar Council, Criminal Bar Association and all circuit leaders across England and Wales.
We were disappointed to see Amendment 38 – which would have removed the proposed reduction of jury trials – was voted down by the Committee by 9 votes to 6, with one abstention. But our fight to retain a cornerstone of the British justice system continues.