FDA National Officer for the Crown Prosecution Service Steven Littlewood has welcomed today’s announcement of investment in the modernisation of courts, but warns that much more is needed to ensure the system delivers justice for the public.

Responding to the announcement, made in the government’s ‘Plan for Jobs’, that £102 million will be invested to modernise the court estate in England and Wales, Littlewood said:

“Anyone who has been to a court and seen broken doors, threadbare carpets or sewage leaking from the ceiling will welcome this investment in our court estate.

“We are pleased that the government is listening to our concerns about the proper funding of justice.

“However, although this is a good start it will take more than a lick of paint to clear the backlog of 40,000 cases. We need more investment in both defence and prosecution to ensure that our system is properly resourced and delivers justice for the public.”