The Judicial Office budget for 2009/10 will be £4.45m, the office has revealed in its first ever business plan.

The Judicial Office was set up in 2006 to provide administrative support to the Lord Chief Justice and senior judiciary. It also provides training to the 42,000 members of the judiciary and supports them in the implementation of new initiatives.

The office listed priorities for the coming year, which include supporting the senior judiciary in relation to policy changes in civil, family and criminal justice; improving case management in the Crown and magistrates' courts; and increasing diversity in the judiciary.

The £4.45m budget includes £3.59m in predicted staff salaries, travel and training. It also includes £60,000 in consultancy fees to be paid to retired judges for specialist advice.

The budget allocates £225,000 for events and conferences, and £228,000 for judicial costs including the health and welfare of judges.

The Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge said the business plan was ‘a step which even two years ago would have been regarded as revolutionary, indeed beyond imagination’.

He added: ‘But times change, and however they do change, for the purposes of the judiciary, our independence and effectiveness must be reinforced.’