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Next week’s update will be issued on Friday 18 June 2021.

• Updated: We will be carrying out IT service improvements next weekend in our Court and Tribunal Service Centres. Our divorce service will be temporarily unavailable from 4.30pm on Friday 18 June 2021. The service will resume at 8am on Monday 21 June 2021. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
• Our courts and tribunals continue to operate as an essential public service, including in areas where the new COVID19 variant is spreading. Everyone required to attend a hearing in person, including jurors and professional users, can travel to our buildings. All our buildings are COVID-secure. Read more about coming to court and our guidance for all users during the pandemic.
• We actively encourage our staff and all court users to support their local authorities by taking part in surge testing in areas affected by variants of concern. We also strongly encourage everyone to continue with twice-weekly asymptomatic rapid testing regardless of their vaccination status. Anyone who tests positive should self-isolate and follow the latest NHS advice.
• Home testing kits are available from all English and Welsh courts and tribunal sites and will be offered to all professional court users, legal professionals, judiciary, contractors, jurors, witness services and staff who attend scheduled hearings.

Crime

• Updated: The Crime Programme national rollout of Common Platform continues. Teesside Magistrates’ Court and Teesside Crown Court in the North East successfully went live on 8 June 2021. As of 8 June 2021, Common Platform is now live in 48 courts (14 Crown Courts and 34 magistrates’ courts). As of 5 June 2021, 9,084 cases have been accepted onto the Common Platform; 7,759 magistrates’ courts hearings and 789 Crown Courts hearings. During week commencing 14 June 2021, Common Platform goes live in 9 courts in Wales (2 Crown Courts and 7 magistrates’ courts).
• Defence professionals can also watch our video learning guide for Common Platform.

Civil

• Updated: From Monday 14 June 2021, the Medway County and Family Court will sit at the Holiday Inn Rochester, for a period of 18 months. A consultation response on the longer-term arrangements for the Medway County and Family Court will be published soon.
• Updated: A new service is being rolled out to the online civil money claims (OCMC) system, which allows judges to draw direction orders digitally. Judge draws directions order (JDDO) allows judges to draw directions via OCMC for cases that are valued between £300.01 and £10,000. The system is initially being rolled out across the North East from 15 June 2021, before being launched across other regions.
• A pilot digital service for Damages Claims enables legal professionals to submit a personal injury claim or other type of unspecified claim digitally. They can manage and progress the claim themselves for the initial stages of the claim process. Initially a 3-month pilot with a few firms, we hope to extend the number of solicitors’ firms taking part from early autumn.

Royal Courts of Justice

• The Royal Courts of Justice have published updated Adminstrative Court Office user guidance.
• For the latest practice directions, advice, and guidance please visit the Judicial Office website.