PRESS RELEASE : Leeds to become beating legal heart of the North with new-state of-the-art courts and tribunals [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 15 February 2024.

Court and tribunal capacity in Leeds is set to be boosted by the opening of new state-of-the art courts and tribunals in the city centre, giving victims, defendants and claimants quicker access to justice.

It comes as the Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk visited the new West Gate court and tribunal building in Leeds yesterday (14 February 2024), funded through the government’s increased investment in the court and tribunal estate across England and Wales.

In a boost for the city’s legal infrastructure, a total of £6.2 million has been invested in West Gate to create capacity for 12 hearing rooms over 3 floors. This investment in the centre of Leeds expands the estate in the city to 53 court or hearing rooms within a 250-yards radius.

The building at West Gate includes the space for eight new, fit-for-purpose employment tribunal rooms.

In addition, construction work is underway to create four new Business & Property Court rooms. They will provide a dedicated space for cases to be heard from business disputes to evictions.

The Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk said:

These new state-of-the-art hearing rooms will be a hugely positive addition to Leeds city centre, positioning the city as a leading legal hub. By increasing capacity in the nearby Crown Court, we are also able to tackle more outstanding criminal cases, put victims first and bring more criminals to justice.

This government is committed to delivering a modern court and tribunal estate that is truly fit for the future.

The court will also support increased Crown Court capacity in the city, by moving the Business & Property Court work away from Leeds Crown Court, where it is currently situated, to help deliver justice swiftly for victims and defendants.

The newly refurbished site in the city’s West Gate district is one of a number of sites in Yorkshire to benefit from part of £220 million funding. The two-year funding package is enabling improvement and maintenance works to courts and tribunals across the country, improving the resilience and accessibility of the court system.

More widely in the Northeast region, some of this funding is being used to:

• £7 million to replace roofs at Skipton Court House, York Magistrates’ Court and Sunderland Magistrates’ Court
• Over £5 million in replacing heating systems and pipework at Sheffield Magistrates Court and Durham Crown Court
• Over £7 million in replacing the windows and exterior cladding at Teesside Magistrates Court
• £600,000 to replace lifts at York Magistrates’ Court, Newcastle Combined Court, Sheffield Combined Court and Grimsby Combined Court

By increasing capacity and minimising unplanned maintenance, the government is tackling outstanding cases and ensuring more hearings can go ahead.

Notes to editors

• HM Courts and Tribunals Service has secured a 15-year lease at West Gate, with work commencing in May 2023 and expected to complete in Spring 2024.
• Once completed, the site will have seen a £6.2 million investment in the West Gate site which has funded the fit out including state-of-the-art ICT and all required changes to the building to accommodate the new rooms.