Courts & regions
Caseloads and backlog (open cases at the end of each quarter), England and Wales.
courtday.uk
80,829
Crown Court open (outstanding) cases, end of Q2 2026
+13.5% vs Q2 2024 (71,184)
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026)
courtday.uk
380,230
Magistrates' courts open cases, end of Q2 2026
+30.6% vs Q2 2024 (291,150)
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026)
Backlog trend, quarterly
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| Quarter (end) | Crown Court open | Magistrates open |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q1 | 69,303 | 282,101 |
| 2024 Q2 | 71,184 | 291,150 |
| 2024 Q3 | 73,142 | 321,742 |
| 2024 Q4 | 74,472 | 327,286 |
| 2025 Q1 | 76,798 | 333,297 |
| 2025 Q2 | 78,226 | 347,365 |
| 2025 Q3 | 79,700 | 359,600 |
| 2025 Q4 | 80,462 | 364,923 |
| 2026 Q1 | 80,437 | 371,980 |
| 2026 Q2 | 80,829 | 380,230 |
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026)
Crown Court by HMCTS region
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| Region | Open Q2 2024 | Open Q2 2025 | Open Q2 2026 | Change 2 yrs | Receipts Q2 2026 | Disposals Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 14,553 | 18,186 | 20,703 | +42.3% | 5,422 | 4,983 |
| Midlands | 12,269 | 13,623 | 14,523 | +18.4% | 4,546 | 4,499 |
| North East | 10,276 | 10,946 | 10,836 | +5.4% | 4,286 | 4,357 |
| North West | 9,979 | 10,222 | 9,842 | -1.4% | 4,344 | 4,383 |
| South East | 15,880 | 16,245 | 15,368 | -3.2% | 5,179 | 5,424 |
| South West | 5,513 | 6,053 | 6,659 | +20.8% | 2,971 | 2,679 |
| Wales | 2,700 | 2,927 | 2,818 | +4.4% | 1,417 | 1,449 |
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026) · All offences, all case types
Magistrates' courts open cases by region
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| Region | Q2 2024 | Q2 2025 | Q2 2026 | Change 2 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 50,935 | 63,996 | 67,653 | +32.8% |
| Midlands | 46,281 | 51,577 | 56,791 | +22.7% |
| North East | 44,276 | 53,356 | 50,739 | +14.6% |
| North West | 43,264 | 41,280 | 47,190 | +9.1% |
| South East | 55,244 | 58,321 | 59,858 | +8.4% |
| South West | 34,329 | 48,179 | 35,856 | +4.4% |
| Wales | 13,513 | 15,434 | 15,653 | +15.8% |
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026)
Crown Court centres
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| Court centre | Open Q2 2024 | Open Q2 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Snaresbrook London | 3,269 | 4,588 |
| Isleworth London | 1,797 | 2,799 |
| Birmingham Midlands | 1,856 | 2,574 |
| Wood Green London | 1,733 | 2,372 |
| Woolwich London | 1,333 | 2,304 |
| Leeds North East | 2,235 | 2,117 |
| Manchester Minshull St North West | 2,283 | 1,969 |
| Maidstone South East | 2,227 | 1,967 |
| Preston North West | 1,961 | 1,911 |
| Sheffield North East | 1,772 | 1,884 |
| Nottingham Midlands | 1,958 | 1,876 |
| Wolverhampton Midlands | 1,256 | 1,871 |
| Inner London Sessions House London | 1,246 | 1,859 |
| Newcastle Upon Tyne North East | 1,928 | 1,859 |
| Liverpool North West | 1,625 | 1,854 |
| Manchester Crown Sq North West | 1,938 | 1,821 |
| Croydon London | 1,328 | 1,713 |
| Southwark London | 1,240 | 1,683 |
| Bradford North East | 1,369 | 1,659 |
| Cardiff Wales | 1,657 | 1,647 |
| Teesside North East | 1,229 | 1,503 |
| Leicester Midlands | 1,243 | 1,427 |
| Lewes South East | 1,183 | 1,419 |
| Harrow London | 656 | 1,381 |
| Basildon South East | 1,419 | 1,304 |
| Kingston Upon Thames London | 961 | 1,248 |
| Bristol South West | 1,067 | 1,227 |
| Norwich South East | 1,089 | 1,218 |
| Aylesbury South East | 987 | 1,200 |
| Guildford South East | 1,140 | 1,195 |
| Chelmsford South East | 1,243 | 1,129 |
| Warwick Midlands | 956 | 1,118 |
| Derby Midlands | 910 | 1,051 |
| St Albans South East | 949 | 994 |
| Luton South East | 1,007 | 956 |
| Chester North West | 868 | 948 |
| Reading South East | 926 | 938 |
| Bolton North West | 981 | 913 |
| Ipswich South East | 1,404 | 901 |
| Northampton Midlands | 823 | 899 |
| Stafford Midlands | 690 | 899 |
| Worcester Midlands | 818 | 815 |
| Cambridge South East | 849 | 786 |
| Shrewsbury Midlands | 640 | 779 |
| Canterbury South East | 927 | 775 |
| Stoke On Trent Midlands | 608 | 757 |
| Central Criminal Court London | 988 | 756 |
| Portsmouth South West | 552 | 729 |
| Bournemouth South West | 517 | 683 |
| Exeter South West | 508 | 661 |
| Swansea Wales | 582 | 656 |
| Oxford South East | 530 | 586 |
| Southampton South West | 510 | 565 |
| Kingston Upon Hull North East | 520 | 562 |
| Plymouth South West | 300 | 553 |
| Durham North East | 503 | 533 |
| Mold Wales | 461 | 515 |
| Winchester South West | 328 | 460 |
| Lincoln Midlands | 511 | 457 |
| York North East | 431 | 457 |
| Taunton South West | 437 | 456 |
| Carlisle North West | 323 | 426 |
| Truro South West | 238 | 385 |
| Gloucester South West | 454 | 365 |
| Swindon South West | 307 | 272 |
| Great Grimsby North East | 289 | 262 |
| Newport (Isle of Wight) South West | 124 | 153 |
| Salisbury South West | 166 | 150 |
| Unknown Unknown | 14 | 80 |
| Blackfriars London | 2 | 0 |
| Dorchester South West | 5 | 0 |
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026) · Region “Unknown” rows are included in national totals but not shown by region
