Claimants and defendants across West Yorkshire will benefit from faster access to justice as a new state-of-the-art courtroom was opened in Leeds yesterday (Monday 21 October) in a boost to the city's legal infrastructure. It turns out.
Minister of Justice Heidi Alexander attended the official opening event of the Westgate Courthouse and Courts Building. The building includes 12 brand new hearing rooms to handle cases ranging from employment rights to property disputes.
A total of £6.2 million has been invested in West Gate to provide a three-storey, purpose-built modern hearing room capacity. This investment in central Leeds will expand the city's real estate to three large operational buildings with over 50 public hearing rooms within a 250 yard radius.
The site will also help manage the Crown Court's backlog by diverting cases from Leeds Crown Court where they were being heard, freeing up additional courtrooms to try criminal cases. It would be helpful. Providing business and property courts with another venue to hear cases will help bring justice more quickly for both plaintiffs and defendants.
Minister for Justice Heidi Alexander MP said:
It was a great honor to witness the opening of these important courts in Leeds, which will strengthen court infrastructure both nationally and in Yorkshire and provide faster justice for claimants and defendants.
This new center will ensure both individuals and businesses have access to vital protection, giving them the confidence they need to innovate, grow and strengthen their economies.
The Business and Property Court, in particular, is an important step in the context of the Government's broader economic growth plans through the Commercial Court. The work that takes place in these courts gives businesses the confidence that they can locate, innovate, and grow here knowing they are protected by the law. Businesses, employees, and property owners know that these courts will protect their rights, judge them fairly, and deliver justice.
Both of these sites also play a key role in processing the 1.6 million cases a year sent to civil and employment tribunals. The Government continues to invest in around 1,000 judges and tribunal members each year to help build this court capacity.
This Government has inherited a difficult financial legacy, but these new courts are part of a wider plan to ensure the court estate is fit for purpose and help reduce the long backlog of courts. is. To increase the physical capacity of the court grounds and hear more cases, 18 Nightingale courtrooms are also currently in use across eight venues.
Note to editors:
The English Courts and Tribunals Department has signed a 15-year lease at Westgate. Ahead of its official opening yesterday, the Business Property Court has been hearing cases since June, while the Employment Court has been operating since December 2023.
