Claimants and defendants across West Yorkshire will benefit from quicker access to justice as new state-of-the-art courtrooms opened yesterday (Monday 21 October) in Leeds, in a boost to the city's legal infrastructure.
Justice Minister Heidi Alexander attended the official opening event of the West Gate court and tribunal building, which contains 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 create capacity for these modern, fit-for-purpose hearing rooms over three floors. This investment in the centre of Leeds expands the estate in the city to three large operational buildings with over 50 hearing rooms within a 250-yards radius.
The site will also help to manage the Crown Court outstanding caseload by diverting cases away from Leeds Crown Court where they were being heard, freeing up an additional courtroom to hear criminal cases. Providing a separate location for the Business and Property Court to hear cases will help deliver justice more swiftly for both claimants and defendants.
Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Heidi Alexander MP, said:
It was a pleasure to be at the opening of these essential courtrooms in Leeds which will boost our court infrastructure both nationally and in Yorkshire and provide claimants and defendants speedier justice.
This new centre ensures that both individuals and businesses are able to access vital protections, providing the confidence they need to innovate, grow, and strengthen our economy.
The Business and Property Court in particular represents an important step in relation to the Government's wider plan for economic growth through the commercial courts. The work that goes on in these courtrooms give businesses the confidence that they can base their companies here, innovate, and grow knowing they are protected by the law. Companies, employees and property owners knows that these courts will safeguard their rights, adjudicate fairly, and deliver justice.
Both these sites are also playing a significant role in dealing with the 1.6 million cases that make their way through the civil courts and employment tribunals each year. The Government is continuing to invest in approximately 1,000 judges and tribunal members annually which will help to support this increased court capacity.
Although this Government has inherited a challenging financial inheritance, these new courtrooms are part of wider plans to ensure the court estate is fit for purpose and to help reduce the long-term courts backlog. Eighteen Nightingale courtrooms are also currently in use across eight venues to increase the physical capacity of the court estate and hear more cases.
Notes:
- HM Courts and Tribunals Service has secured a 15-year lease at West Gate.
- Ahead of yesterday's official opening, the Business and Property Court has been hearing cases since June, while the Employment Tribunals have been operational since December 2023.
