With evictions and repossession cases set to begin again on the 23 August 2020, the government has established Nightingale Courts – similar to the Nightingale Hospitals used to help the NHS – in a bid to reduce the backlog of cases that has built up as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nightingale Courts are going to be placed around the country in:
- Telford, Shropshire
- Stevenage, Hertfordshire
- Swansea
- Leeds
- Middlesbrough on Teeside
- Chichester
- Fleetwood in Lancashire
- Peterborough
- London
Former courts or buildings are being converted to become modern court offices in these areas.
The government has revealed other measures to help ease pressure on the court system, including opening courts for longer to increase the number of cases that can be heard safely, using video technology where appropriate, and a £140m-plus programme to rapidly modernise some existing court buildings.
The government has already outlined new court procedures to address the expected backlog of cases when eviction proceedings resume.
