[UK] Judge shortages delay some employment tribunals until 2026

In the UK, a shortage of judges continues to impact employment tribunal waiting times, with week-long employment tribunals in parts of London being listed for as far away as 2026, The Law Society Gazette reports.

Figures released as part of the minutes of the employment tribunals user group meeting for April have revealed that cases for hearings of six to 10 days in the London South region are experiencing the longest delays.

Other affected regions - London East, North West (Liverpool), Midlands East and the South East - all reportedly have cases listed for the second half of 2025. Hearing dates for this year are only available in Wales (South), London Central, the North East and the South West.

In some regions, hearings of between three and five days are being forced to wait until the second half of 2025. 

The user group meeting heard that these time estimates were in broad terms and based on an informal survey of regional employment judges. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) continues to be unable to produce official, audited data on timeliness.

Judge Barry Clarke - president of employment tribunals for England and Wales - told the meeting that 60 per cent of the backlog of single claims are based in London and the South East regions yet these areas contain only 30-40 per cent of judges. 

While 19 judges had recently been recruited nationwide, the business case had reportedly been made for 50 and this was noted to be the fourth successive drive in which HMCTS had struggled to find the numbers needed in London and the South East.

“There is no shortage of those who wish to become salaried judges in other parts of the country,” the minutes read. “The likeliest explanation for the shortfall is the cost of living in London and the South East.”

A further 50 judges fee paid judges are expected to be brought on board in 2024 but, following that, the next recruitment drive will not be for another three years. As of April 2024, there were eight regional employment judges (and three acting regional judges), 165 salaried judges, 350 fee-paid judges and 780 non-legal members.

The most recent quarterly tribunal statistics - covering the period from October to December 2023 - show single employment cases increasing by 7 per cent, while disposals were down by 11 per cent compared to the same period a year before.

In the quarter, the tribunal received 8,100 single-claim receipts and disposed of 7,100. The backlog by the end of December last year was 33,000 claims. For multiple cases, there were 16,000 new receipts, 23,000 disposals and an open caseload of 431,000.

Source: The Law Society Gazette

(Link and quote via original reporting)

In the UK, a shortage of judges continues to impact employment tribunal waiting times, with week-long employment tribunals in parts of London being listed for as far away as 2026, The Law Society Gazette reports.

Figures released as part of the minutes of the employment tribunals user group meeting for April have revealed that cases for hearings of six to 10 days in the London South region are experiencing the longest delays.

Other affected regions - London East, North West (Liverpool), Midlands East and the South East - all reportedly have cases listed for the second half of 2025. Hearing dates for this year are only available in Wales (South), London Central, the North East and the South West.

In some regions, hearings of between three and five days are being forced to wait until the second half of 2025. 

The user group meeting heard that these time estimates were in broad terms and based on an informal survey of regional employment judges. HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) continues to be unable to produce official, audited data on timeliness.

Judge Barry Clarke - president of employment tribunals for England and Wales - told the meeting that 60 per cent of the backlog of single claims are based in London and the South East regions yet these areas contain only 30-40 per cent of judges. 

While 19 judges had recently been recruited nationwide, the business case had reportedly been made for 50 and this was noted to be the fourth successive drive in which HMCTS had struggled to find the numbers needed in London and the South East.

“There is no shortage of those who wish to become salaried judges in other parts of the country,” the minutes read. “The likeliest explanation for the shortfall is the cost of living in London and the South East.”

A further 50 judges fee paid judges are expected to be brought on board in 2024 but, following that, the next recruitment drive will not be for another three years. As of April 2024, there were eight regional employment judges (and three acting regional judges), 165 salaried judges, 350 fee-paid judges and 780 non-legal members.

The most recent quarterly tribunal statistics - covering the period from October to December 2023 - show single employment cases increasing by 7 per cent, while disposals were down by 11 per cent compared to the same period a year before.

In the quarter, the tribunal received 8,100 single-claim receipts and disposed of 7,100. The backlog by the end of December last year was 33,000 claims. For multiple cases, there were 16,000 new receipts, 23,000 disposals and an open caseload of 431,000.

Source: The Law Society Gazette

(Link and quote via original reporting)