Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis (right)
(Picture: ES/Tristan Kirk)Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis promised to fight for justice spending and deliver courts “fit for the 22nd Century” as he helped lay the foundation stone for a new courthourse and police HQ in the City of London.
New Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has indicated spending cuts across government in the wake of the disastrous mini-budget, as the government battles to fill black holes in the finances and battle rising inflation.
Speaking at an event to celebrate a new justice centre being built off Fleet Street, Mr Lewis said he is determined to “make sure criminal justice gets its fair share” in spite of looming budget cuts.
“It’s also about making sure you have got courts that are fit for the 21st and moving into the 22nd Century, having modern technology”, he said.
“The Chancellor has been very clear – he wants to make sure we are delivering the outcomes that work for people and we are protecting people, certainly in terms of safety and communities across the country and that’s where my focus is as Justice Secretary.
“If you look at what I’ve done over the last few weeks, we’ve invested in criminal justice in a pretty big way and I intend to continue making sure criminal justice gets its fair share, and is delivering for people because by delivering on criminal justice whether it’s through getting the court backlog down, making sure that the Bar and Legal Aid are properly financed so that it can work for people means that we can process people through those court cases, victims are seeing justice, and criminal justice system is working for people, and ultimately people can feel safer.
“If we have people feeling safer then communities are healthier, and that’s where my focus is.”
The new justice centre, set to open in 2026 in Salisbury Square, is set to house City of London Police headquarters, eight new Crown Court hearing rooms, plus six civil courts and four magistrates courts.
Mr Lewis and City of London Corporation policy chairman Chris Hayward unveiled the foundation stone at a ceremony on Tuesday.
Asked if the new courthouse would precipitate the closure of another crown court in London, Mr Lewis said: “The whole point of this project is to actually expand capacity - delivering something in 2026 that can be an asset to the justice system.”
He said he recently visited Inner London crown court, and having seen some rooms in poor condition the Minister said he is “keen” for “investment into courts like that to make sure they can be running efficiently and effectively”.
“I want to make sure we get our courts into an order where we can start dealing with that backlogs”, he added. “It means getting our courts open and working, and it does mean I want to invest in our courts.”
The new courthouse at Salisbury Square is due to be fitted with modern technology and have a 125-year lifespan, together with an electric – and ecologically-friendly - heating and cooling system.
