Bar Council welcomes Crown Court sitting days increase but calls for removal of limits
The Bar Council has welcomed the Ministry of Justice's announcement of increased Crown Court sitting days, totalling 111,250 days for 2026, while calling for uncapped sitting days and long-term investment to address the criminal court backlog. The Chair of the Bar Council, Barbara Mills KC, described the increase as 'a positive step' but warned that limiting sitting days means the backlog is only being slowly reduced, with some trial dates set as far ahead as 2029. She called for the removal of limits on court sitting days to achieve a more immediate impact on delays. Mills KC also responded to Sir Brian Leveson's review recommendations, which propose removing jury trials for certain offences and establishing a Crown Court Bench Division. She argued that, rather than creating new courts, the focus should be on investing in uncapped sitting days, increasing resources for legal professionals, strengthening rehabilitation programmes and out-of-court disposals to reduce the number of cases entering the court system.