New courts and tribunals service centre for Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester will house a new centre designed to provide easier access to justice and support those who use courts and tribunals, HM Courts and Tribunal Service announced today (22 July 2019).
- Centre will provide support to people across the country and free-up court staff
- Part of a £1 billion court reform programme to improve the justice system
- Centres already open in Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham, and a third in Loughborough will open in 2020
Supporting up to 250 jobs, the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre (CTSC) will bring services together under one roof, offering an efficient way for people to get the help they need with their case or query. This will work alongside courts and tribunals, allowing staff there to spend more time supporting those who need to attend in person.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service CEO, Susan Acland-Hood, said:
This is just one example of how our reform programme is putting people at the heart of the justice system.
Our service centres will transform the way we support court and tribunal users, using new technology to do things quickly and efficiently, respond well to queries, and offer help.
In the centres already open, staff are delivering our new online divorce, probate, single justice and social security appeals services, which have satisfaction rates of up to 92%.
Two service centres, in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent, opened in January 2019, with Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) and probate digital services operating from Birmingham and Single Justice Service (SJS) and divorce services, alongside administrators, supporting video hearings in Stoke-on-Trent. A third centre, in Loughborough, is due to open in 2020.
The fourth CTSC will be in Greater Manchester and is expected to open in 2021. Housing around 250 staff, it will bring the total workforce to approximately 1,250 in the CTSC network across England and Wales.
Half of the HMCTS workforce will continue to be based in courts and tribunals and will work together with the new service centres.
Creation of the CTSCs is part of the £1bn being invested in transforming courts and tribunals, making the justice system simpler to access, convenient to use and more efficient to run.