Law Society welcomes second super courtroom
updated on 15 November 2021
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More than £2.5 million was spent in renovating the Loughborough Magistrates’ Court to accommodate an extra 250 criminal cases with numerous defendants, to be heard across England and Wales.
This is the second super court to be open in the country, the first was Manchester Crown Court which opened its doors in September.
The super court plans to host trials for alleged criminal offences such as drug trafficking, murders and money laundering. This court was opened to tackle backlogs caused by the coronavirus pandemic and to better deal with organised crime gangs.
Read this LCN blog: ‘Covid-19 and the court crisis: how covid-19 is affecting access to justice in the criminal and family courts.’
Since covid-19, many courtrooms have struggled to accommodate trials with social distancing measures in place. But with the second opening of the super court, there is hope that justice can be sped up for victims.
Now the court can cater for more defendants without disturbing other cases, which will get gang-related suspects to appear in front of judges quicker.
However, Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce said: “This is a long-term problem which pre-dates the pandemic and was the result of years of underfunding and cuts. As the lord chancellor recognises, it won’t be solved overnight.”
“The investment announced in the budget was a step in the right direction and we hope the government response to the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid will result in further much-needed funding.”
