PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Magistrates' Courts: Telford (2 September 2024)

HMCTS records the availability of courtroom in ‘sessions’. A ‘session’ represents the time that court/hearing room space is available, with up to two sessions available each day. Available and unavailable sessions are recorded for all jurisdictions.

Telford Magistrates Court had the following number of sessions recorded as available and then confirmed as used during the enquired period:

Data relating to total sessions is extracted from HMCTS Courtroom Planner database, data relating to Confirmed Sessions is extracted from the Rota database. The data relating to session availability and confirmed sessions are from different source systems and are therefore not directly comparable. Please note all data provided is internal and subject to data quality issues inherent in any large-scale manual system.

HMCTS records a session being unavailable for a number of reasons, including important alternative uses. For example:

• box work

• case-related unavailability

• community engagement

• where the room is connected to chambers which are in use

• court closures due to severe weather or security incidents, holidays (not public holiday) or formerly due to COVID

• external meetings (e.g., Court User Group)

• use for external organisations (e.g., Coroner)

• maintenance work

• mediation (parties present)

• overspill (in support of a hearing taking place elsewhere)

• staff meetings and/or training

• video link being used for other matter

The amount of time we use our available estate for hearings is also connected to the funded number of sitting days in any one year, and the availability of key participants such as judiciary and legal professionals.

It should be noted that Courtroom 6 in Telford Magistrates has been out of operation since March 2023 owing to the need to replace the roof. This has progressed through the required government approvals process and building work is due to be instructed shortly on the roof replacement.

Replacement of the roof will enable the room to be brought back into operation.