Local justice areas are units in England and Wales established by the Courts Act 2003,[1] replacing[1] and directly based on[citation needed] the previous petty sessional divisions. They have been in existence since 2005.[2]

Whilst previously, local justice areas were used to determine which magistrates' courts may hear a particular case, since 1 April 2015, any magistrates' court in England and Wales may hear any case from anywhere in England and Wales. [3][4]

The areas established were identical to the petty sessional divisions. They have since been amended by the merger of South Pembrokeshire and North Pembrokeshire to a single Pembrokeshire local justice area,[5] and the merger of De Maldwyn and Welshpool to a single Montgomeryshire local justice area[5] – this change came into force in 2006, although the magistrates already shared the same courtroom.

A further amendment occurred in 2006 when the areas of Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Drayton were combined to become a new area named Shrewsbury and North Shropshire.[6] The areas of Telford and Bridgnorth and South Shropshire were also combined to become a new area named Telford and South Shropshire.[6]

A major rearrangement culminated in April 2017, when many local justice areas were amalgamated to leave 75 across England and Wales. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Each local justice area was part of a larger courts board area, which replaced the magistrates' courts committee areas with the inauguration of Her Majesty's Courts Service in 2005.[20] Courts boards were abolished in 2012. [21]

Local Justice Areas will be abolished once Section 45 of the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 is brought into force. [22]

Post 2017 Local Justice Areas

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These are the Local Justice Areas as lasted merged by The Local Justice Areas Order 2016, in effect from 1 April 2017: [8][9][10][11]

  • Avon and Somerset replaces the areas of Bristol, North Avon and Somerset.
  • Bedfordshire replaces the areas of Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire, and Luton and South Bedfordshire[17]
  • Berkshire replaces the areas of East Berkshire, West Berkshire and Reading[19]
  • Birmingham and Solihull replaces the areas of Birmingham, and Solihull[14]
  • Black Country replaces the areas of Dudley and Halesowen, Sandwell, Walsall and Aldridge, and Wolverhampton [14]
  • Buckinghamshire replaces the areas of Milton Keynes, Wycombe and Beaconsfield, and Central Buckinghamshire[19]
  • Cambridgeshire replaces the areas of Huntingdonshire, North Cambridgeshire and South Cambridgeshire.
  • Cardiff replaces the areas of Newcastle and Ogmore and Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
  • Carmarthenshire replaces the areas of Carmarthen, Dinefwr and Llanelli[19]
  • Central Kent[19]
  • Central London replaces the areas of Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea, City of London and City of Westminster[19]
  • Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire replaces the areas of Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire[19]
  • Cheshire replaces the areas of North Cheshire, South and East Cheshire, and West Cheshire.
  • Cleveland replaces the areas of Hartlepool and Teesside.
  • Cornwall replaces the areas of East Cornwall and West Cornwall[19]
  • County Durham and Darlington replaces the areas of North Durham and South Durham[18]
  • County of Wiltshire replaces the areas of North West Wiltshire, South East Wiltshire and Swindon[16]
  • Coventry and Warwickshire replaces the areas of Coventry District, and Warwickshire[14]
  • Dorset replaces the areas of East Dorset and West Dorset.
  • East Hampshire replaces the areas of South East Hampshire and South Hampshire.
  • East Kent [19]
  • East London replaces the areas of Hackney and Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest[19]
  • Gloucestershire [19]
  • Greater Manchester replaces the areas of Bolton, Bury and Rochdale, Manchester and Salford, Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan and Leigh.
  • Gwent [19]
  • Herefordshire [19]
  • Humber replaces the areas of East Yorkshire, Grimsby and Cleethorpes, Hull and Holderness, and North Lincolnshire.
  • Isle of Wight [19]
  • Lancashire replaces the areas of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, Chorley, East Lancashire, Fylde Coast, Lancaster, Ormskirk, and Preston and South Ribble.
  • Leicestershire and Rutland replaces the areas of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Market Bosworth; Leicester, Market Harborough and Lutterworth; and Loughborough, Melton, Belvoir and Rutland[15]
  • Lincolnshire replaces the areas of East Lincolnshire, South Lincolnshire, and West Lincolnshire[15]
  • Merseyside replaces the areas of Liverpool and Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral.
  • Mid Wales replaces the areas of Brecknock and Radnorshire and Glamorgan Valleys.
  • Norfolk replaces the areas of Central Norfolk, North Norfolk, South Norfolk, West Norfolk, Great Yarmouth and Norwich[19]
  • North and East Devon replaces the areas of Central Devon and North Devon[19]
  • North and East Hertfordshire replaces the areas of North Hertfordshire and East Hertfordshire[19]
  • North and West Cumbria replaces the areas of North Cumbria, and West Cumbria[12]
  • North Central Wales replaces the areas of Conwy and Denbighshire.
  • North East London replaces the areas of Barking, Havering and Redbridge[19]
  • North East Wales replaces the areas of Wrexham Maelor and Flintshire[12]
  • North Essex replaces the areas of Mid-North Essex, North West Essex and North East Essex[19]
  • North Hampshire replaces the areas of North East Hampshire and North West Hampshire[19]
  • North Kent[19]
  • North London replaces the areas of Camden and Islington, Enfield and Haringey[19]
  • North Northumbria replaces the areas of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Mid and South East Northumberland, Newcastle and Tynedale, and North Tyneside District.
  • North West London replaces the areas of Barnet, Brent and Harrow Gore[19]
  • North West Wales replaces the areas of Gwynedd and Anglesey (Ynys Môn).
  • North Yorkshire replaces the areas of Harrogate and Skipton, Northallerton and Richmond, Scarborough and York and Selby.
  • Northamptonshire replaces the areas of Corby, Kettering, and Northampton, Daventry and Towcester, and Wellingborough.
  • Northern Derbyshire replaces the areas of High Peak, and North East Derbyshire and Dales [13]
  • Nottinghamshire replaces the areas of Mansfield and Worksop, and Nottingham and Newark [14]
  • Oxfordshire replaces the areas of Southern Oxfordshire, Northern Oxfordshire and Oxford[19]
  • Shropshire replaces the areas of Shrewsbury and North Shropshire, and Telford and South Shropshire[13]
  • South and West Devon replaces Plymouth District and South Devon[19]
  • South Cumbria replaces the areas of Furness and District, and South Lakeland[12]
  • South East London replaces the areas of Greenwich and Lewisham, Bexley and Bromley[19]
  • South Essex replaces the areas of Mid-South Essex, South West Essex and South East Essex[19]
  • South London replaces the ares of Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark, and Sutton[19]
  • South Northumbria replaces the areas of Gateshead District, City of Sunderland and South Tyneside District.
  • South West London replaces the areas of Kingston, Merton, Richmond-upon-Thames and Wandsworth[19]
  • South Yorkshire replaces the areas of Barnsley District, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield.
  • Southern Derbyshire [19]
  • Staffordshire replaces the areas of Central and Southwest Staffordshire, North Staffordshire, and South East Staffordshire.
  • Suffolk replaces the areas of North East Suffolk, South East Suffolk, and West Suffolk[12]
  • Surrey replaces the areas of North Surrey, South East Surrey, and South West Surrey.
  • Sussex (Central) [19]
  • Sussex (Eastern) [19]
  • Teesside replaces the areas of Langbaurgh East and Teesside[19]
  • West and Central Hertfordshire replaces the areas of West Hertfordshire and Central Hertfordshire[19]
  • West Glamorgan replaces the areas of Swansea County and Neath Port Talbot[12]
  • West Hampshire replaces the areas of New Forest and Southampton[19]
  • West London replaces the areas of Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon[19]
  • West Sussex replaces the areas of Sussex (Northern) and Sussex (Western)
  • West Yorkshire replaces the areas of Bradford and Keighley, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds District, and Wakefield and Pontefract.
  • Worcestershire replaces the areas of Bromsgrove and Redditch, Kidderminster, and South Worcestershire[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Courts Act 2003: Section 8", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2003 c. 39 (s. 8)
  2. ^ "Local Justice Areas Order 2005", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2005/554
  3. ^ "Memorandum by the Magistrates' Association, Judicial Policy & Practice Committee". UK Parliament Publications and Records. House of Commons. 17 March 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2023. Our suggested solution, based upon the fact that from 1 April 2005 magistrates have the capability to hear cases anywhere within the jurisdiction of their National Commission, and not just within their local area...
  4. ^ "Courts Act 2003 Explanatory Notes". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 20 November 2003. 95. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas (No.2) Order 2005", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2005/2949
  6. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas (No.1) Order 2006", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2006/1839
  7. ^ "Local Justice Areas 2021" (PDF). What Do They Know. HMCTS. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  8. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 15 September 2016, SI 2016/941, retrieved 15 February 2023
  9. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas (No. 2) Order 2015", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 15 September 2015, SI 2015/1870, retrieved 3 March 2023
  10. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas Order 2015", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 9 July 2015, SI 2015/1506, retrieved 3 March 2023
  11. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas (No. 3) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 25 October 2014, SI 2014/2867, retrieved 3 March 2023
  12. ^ a b c d e f "The Local Justice Areas (No. 2) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 17 July 2014, SI 2014/1899, retrieved 11 December 2024
  13. ^ a b c d "The Local Justice Areas Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 14 February 2014, SI 2014/322, retrieved 13 December 2024
  14. ^ a b c d e "The Local Justice Areas (No. 2) Order 2013", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 24 July 2013, SI 2013/1878, retrieved 13 December 2024
  15. ^ a b c "The Local Justice Areas Order 2013", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 16 July 2013, SI 2013/1777, retrieved 13 December 2024
  16. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas (No. 3) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 17 December 2012, SI 2012/3128, retrieved 13 December 2024
  17. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas (No. 2) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 16 June 2012, SI 2012/1555, retrieved 13 December 2024
  18. ^ a b "The Local Justice Areas Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 14 May 2012, SI 2012/1277, retrieved 13 December 2024
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj "The Local Justice Areas Order 2011", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 26 April 2011, SI 2011/1168, retrieved 11 December 2024
  20. ^ "The Courts Boards Areas (Amendment) Order 2004", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2004/1303
  21. ^ The Public Bodies (Abolition of Courts Boards) Order 2012, UK Statutory Instruments 2012, 2012, Wikidata Q99682324
  22. ^ "Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022: Section 45", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2022 c. 35 (s. 45)
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