Friday 8 November 2024 A weekly round-up of the latest news and information about courts and tribunals | | In the second part of our anti-knife crime podcast we hear from some of the speakers, including charities, the Courts Minister and a representative from the Metropolitan Police, who share their perspectives on tackling knife crime and the positive impact of the day. Join us to hear these powerful stories and learn more about the efforts being made to combat knife crime and support young people in making positive choices. | | Our latest Month in Focus video covers news highlights from October, including the official opening of a new court and tribunal centre in Leeds, the anti-knife crime event at Westminster Magistratesâ Court, and presenting our research framework for assessing access to justice at an OECD conference. You can subscribe to our HMCTS social media channels to stay updated. | | Over the upcoming holiday season, our courts and tribunals will close temporarily on various dates between 25 December 2024 and 1 January 2025. Some magistratesâ courts will be open on 26 December 2024 and 1 January 2025, for remand hearings only. | | We've recently launched our new WhatsApp channel allowing users to stay informed with the latest news, updates and announcements. Sign up to our channel to receive all the latest information to your mobile phone. | | Wolverhampton Magistratesâ Court is temporarily closed while essential heating works take place. The court is expected to reopen in January 2025. All affected cases have been moved to courts within the Black Country and wider region during this period. The court will contact parties directly to inform them of any changes to their case. | | Mediation is now an integral part of the small claims process, where claims are made online through our Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC) service.  Mediation offers a faster, cheaper way for parties to resolve their dispute without paying a hearing fee.   From Tuesday 5 November 2024, all new civil money claims under £10,000 filed through OCMC must attend a mediation session to try and find a resolution before proceeding to a court hearing. This means that all money claims allocated to the small claims track are now automatically referred to the Small Claims Mediation Service. This will apply to new OCMC claims submitted on or after 11am on 5 November. Automatic referral to mediation already applies to claims issued on paper or via our âlegacyâ services. | | What did you think of this email? | | |