Guidance

HMCTS weekly operational summary

A weekly summary of the latest HM Courts and Tribunals Service operational position for users. We will aim to update this every Friday at 4pm.

From:
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Published
21 May 2021

Our weekly operational update will be emailed to our subscribers Sunday evenings. On Monday mornings we’ll also publish a link to on Twitter.

View our previously issued weekly COVID-19 operational updates.

Follow us on Twitter to check for daily or urgent updates.

A new COVID-19 variant is spreading in some parts of England. There may be additional advice for your area. Find out what you need to do.

HMCTS operational summary for week commencing Monday 24 May 2021

Next week’s update will be issued on Friday 29 May 2021.

  • Updated: We actively encourage our staff and all court users to support their local authorities by taking part in surge testing in areas affected by variants of concern. We also strongly encourage everyone to continue with twice-weekly asymptomatic rapid testing regardless of their vaccination status. Anyone who tests positive should self-isolate and follow the latest NHS advice.
  • Updated: We published a blog from our Operations Director, Paul Harris, on how we’re ensuring the safety of everyone who attends our buildings following the latest announcement on the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.
  • Updated: We published a blog by Deputy Service Manager, Dan Hodges, on the recent rollout of sobriety tags.
  • Updated: While we carry out IT service improvements in our Court and Tribunal Service Centres, from 3.30pm on Friday 21 May 2021 Social Security and Child Support services will be temporarily unavailable. Single Justice Service and Welsh Language Unit services will be temporarily unavailable from 4pm. These services resume at 8am on Monday 24 May 2021. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
  • Home tests are available from all English and Welsh courts and tribunal sites and will be offered to all professional court users, legal professionals, judiciary, contractors, jurors, witness services and staff who attend scheduled hearings.
  • We are currently undertaking an evaluation of remote hearings to understand more about the remote hearing practice implemented during the COVID outbreak, and to make recommendations for use of remote hearings in the longer term. We encourage legal professionals to submit their views for consideration. The survey will close on Tuesday 1 June 2021.

Crime

  • Updated: The senior judiciary and HMCTS have developed a 5-point plan for the recovery of magistrates’ adult and youth courts dealing with criminal matters.
  • Updated: The Crime Programme has successfully completed early adopter rollout of Common Platform to all seven early adopter sites with the final early adopter site in London (Kingston and Wimbledon) went live on 11 May. Common Platform continues national rollout (NRO) with the Midlands, South West, North East and more recently the North West (Chester and Crewe Magistrates’ Courts) went live on 18 May. The next sites to go live in May will be in the South East (Lewes Crown Court and Brighton, Hastings, Crawley, Horsham and Worthing Magistrates’ Courts). As of 20 May, a total of 40 courts (12 Crown Courts and 28 Magistrates’ Courts) are now using the Common Platform in all the live sites. We have updated the page of participating courts on GOV.UK with those that went live up to 11 May. We have also published a new video: What is Common Platform?
  • What is Common Platform?

Civil

Royal Courts of Justice

  • Updated: The Royal Courts of Justice remains open to the public, however some counters and court facilities have temporarily closed. There is currently no counter service in the Court of Appeal (Civil and Criminal), Queen’s Bench Division, Administrative Court or Mayor’s and City Court. There is a counter service by appointment only in the Fees Office, High Court Family and Central London County Court. Café 26 remains closed.

Judicial Announcements

Published 21 May 2021
Contents