“The backlog at courts in Wales and the northwest and southeast of England fell considerably since the sitting days were added, according to the lawyers’ research. After the initial move in October, ministers announced in February that the sitting days cap would be completely lifted for the next year. The criminal law barristers said the move was already having an effect. They cited Maidstone crown court, the largest in the southeast outside the capital, where the case backlog had fallen by more than 5 per cent in the past six months. The researchers said that across England and Wales over the past quarter, new case receipts had fallen by 3 per cent compared with the same period the previous year. The association noted that in London, the biggest crown court region in the country, where the case backlog had been rising sharply, the number of fresh cases had dipped by 5 per cent in the past three months of 2025 — the period after the initial cash injection for additional court sitting days. “The 3 per cent fall in the last quarter of 2025 suggests that the fall is gathering pace and indicating that the trajectory is for yet further falls in the backlog so far this year, with more declines to come as the lid on sitting days is lifted,” the researchers said. thetimes.com/uk/law/article…
