MP calls for court to reopen amid backlog of cases

Woking MP Will Forster said there were 1,500 cases waiting for a Crown Court date in Surrey

The government is being urged to reopen a Surrey court complex to help deal with the backlog of cases in the county.

Woking's Liberal Democrat MP Will Forster said in the House of Commons on Thursday that there were 1,500 cases waiting for their date in Crown Court in Surrey alone, including 166 sexual offences against women and girls.

"Prosecutors have been telling victims that they have between two and five years' wait to get their day in court, and I think that's appalling," he said.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said additional sitting days had been funded and that it was committed to delivering longer-term reform.

The closure of Woking's court building was announced in 2010, with the MoJ at the time stating it had a responsibility to ensure there was "an effective and efficient court service to deliver justice".

Solicitor General Lucy Rigby responded to Forster in the Commons, stating more than 260 court buildings had been closed by the previous government, which had "clearly led to considerable court backlog".

She added that additional crown court sitting days and increasing magistrates' court sentencing powers had been introduced to deal with court backlog.

The delays were also contributed to by the pandemic, the BBC previously reported.

The Conservative Party has been approached for comment.

An MoJ spokesperson said: "This government inherited a record and rising courts backlog – that's why we've asked Sir Brian Leveson to propose once-in-a-generation reform to deliver swifter justice for victims.

"We've already funded an additional 2,500 sitting days, raising court capacity to the highest in almost ten years and are committed to working with our partners to deliver longer-term reform."