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Next week’s update will be issued on Friday 2 July 2021.

• Updated: We’ve launched our 2021 communications and engagement survey. We’re encouraging professional court and tribunal users to complete the short survey to improve how we communicate and engage with them.
• Updated: This week we are opening a Nightingale court at the Crowne Plaza Chester. This venue replaces Chester Town Hall. Nightingale courts in Birmingham, Hull, Lancaster, Middlesbrough and Stafford will be closing at the end of June 2021. All of our Nightingale courts are set up on a temporary basis to provide additional courtroom capacity and meet local operational needs. We will consider replacement venues in locations where an operational need remains. Please see our full list of Nightingale courts and additional courtrooms currently open for more details.
• Reminder: 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.
• Reminder: 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.
• Reminder: 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 national rollout of the Common Platform continues with 9 additional Magistrates’ and 6 Crown Courts in the South East, South West and North West going live on Tuesday 22 June 2021. It’s now live in 62 courts. During the week commencing Monday 28 June 2021, Common Platform is scheduled to go live in 7 more courts in the South East and the Midlands.
• Updated: We’ve announced the rollout of Common Platform and the Single Justice Service to Hampshire Police.

Civil

• 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.

Family

• Improvements to the probate service on MyHMCTS are planned in mid-July 2021. To prepare for this please submit or delete unsubmitted cases on your dashboard. Unsubmitted cases will not be available after the improvements go live. More information on the improvements and updated guidance will be published in due course.

Tribunals

• Updated: From Monday 28 June 2021 our E-Filing service for the for Upper Tribunal Lands Chamber will become available to practitioners and litigants in person.

Royal Courts of Justice

• For the latest practice directions, advice, and guidance please visit the Judicial Office website.