Government urges public to volunteer as magistrates in major recruitment drive

The government is seeking to recruit more than 2,000 additional magistrates in the next financial year – the same number that have been trained since 2022.

Magistrates, who deputy prime minister David Lammy described as playing a ‘vital role in our court system’, are all volunteers who are expected to dedicate a minimum of 13 days a year to sitting on cases.

More than 2,000 magistrates have been trained since 2022. The new ‘ambitious’ recruitment drive, launched today by the Ministry of Justice, aims to boost the magistracy by the same number again in just the next financial year as part of the government’s ‘Plan for Change’.

Justice secretary Lammy said: ‘Magistrates play a vital role in our court system, hearing thousands of cases across every jurisdiction and delivering justice. They are everyday heroes, and we need more people of every age and background to volunteer not just to deliver justice but to serve and represent their local communities. Volunteering to become a magistrate can make a real difference to your life and the lives of others.’

Criminal court statistics covering July to September 2025 show a continued increase in the Crown court backlog and magistrates’ court backlog.

At the time, the Magistrates Association said the backlog of cases in the magistrates’ court was a ‘new record’, adding: ‘As we said in our response to the government’s recent proposals to reform the criminal courts, we need to see more resources put into the magistrates’ courts to maximise the success of these changes, and so ensure speedier justice.

‘These include ensuring there are enough trained and well-paid legal advisers (without whom magistrates cannot hear cases); repairing and maintaining the crumbling court buildings and court rooms so they are safe and fit for purpose; and agreeing a long-term and strategic plan for the recruitment, retention, training and recognition of magistrates – so that people from all walks of life will want to volunteer as a magistrate, and will not be left out of pocket for doing so.’

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