This tracker brings together the latest official figures on caseloads and waiting times in the courts and tribunals of England and Wales. It covers the Crown Court, the magistrates’ courts, the County Court, the family courts, the Employment Tribunal and the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Every figure is taken from the quarterly statistics published by the Ministry of Justice, using data from HM Courts and Tribunals Service case management systems. Each table states the quarter it covers, the comparison periods and the source table.
Last updated: 24 October 2026.
Crown Court
Latest quarter: April to June 2026 (Q2 2026). Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, published 24 September 2026, overview tables C1, O1 and O3.
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Previous quarter (Q1 2026) | Year earlier (Q2 2025) | Source table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open cases at end of quarter | 80,829 | 80,437 | 78,226 | Table C1 |
| Receipts in quarter | 28,234 | 29,532 | 30,505 | Table C1 |
| Disposals in quarter | 27,837 | 29,610 | 28,851 | Table C1 |
| Median age of open cases (days) | 203 | 197 | 168 | Table O1 |
| Cases open for a year or more | 23,706 | 22,572 | 19,384 | Table O3 |
The figure for cases open for a year or more is the sum of the “1 year to under 2 years” and “2 years or more” columns in Table O3, which counts valid cases only. The release states that these cases accounted for 31% of all open cases, “a series peak”.
Crown Court trend, last eight quarters
| Quarter | Receipts | Disposals | Open cases at end of quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2024 | 31,752 | 29,553 | 73,142 |
| Q4 2024 | 29,542 | 28,253 | 74,472 |
| Q1 2025 | 30,193 | 27,986 | 76,798 |
| Q2 2025 | 30,505 | 28,851 | 78,226 |
| Q3 2025 | 30,406 | 28,850 | 79,700 |
| Q4 2025 | 29,589 | 28,803 | 80,462 |
| Q1 2026 | 29,532 | 29,610 | 80,437 |
| Q2 2026 | 28,234 | 27,837 | 80,829 |
Source: Table C1, all cases. The release states: “The latest open caseload volume broadly compares to around nine months of disposals, based on latest disposal levels and not factoring in any receipts during this period.” It also explains that the open caseload “will never be zero, as it reflects the volume of cases that are active in the courts at a particular point”.
The September 2026 release revised the Crown Court open caseload back series. In its words: “The open caseload back series has been revised up by less than 1%.” Figures above are as published in the April to June 2026 tables and may differ slightly from earlier editions.
Magistrates’ courts
Latest quarter: April to June 2026 (Q2 2026). Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, Table M1 (all criminal cases).
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Previous quarter (Q1 2026) | Year earlier (Q2 2025) | Source table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open cases at end of quarter | 380,230 | 371,980 | 347,365 | Table M1 |
| Receipts in quarter | 365,357 | 386,095 | 374,391 | Table M1 |
| Disposals in quarter | 357,064 | 379,022 | 360,297 | Table M1 |
| Open “for trial” cases at end of quarter | 89,727 | 83,041 | 73,833 | Table M1 |
Magistrates’ courts trend, last eight quarters
| Quarter | Receipts | Disposals | Open cases at end of quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2024 | 371,475 | 340,859 | 321,742 |
| Q4 2024 | 377,793 | 372,223 | 327,286 |
| Q1 2025 | 387,024 | 380,976 | 333,297 |
| Q2 2025 | 374,391 | 360,297 | 347,365 |
| Q3 2025 | 361,614 | 349,370 | 359,600 |
| Q4 2025 | 375,978 | 370,625 | 364,923 |
| Q1 2026 | 386,095 | 379,022 | 371,980 |
| Q2 2026 | 365,357 | 357,064 | 380,230 |
Source: Table M1, all cases. The release describes the end of June 2026 total as “a peak since the comparable series began in 2019” and states: “Since Q2 2023 receipts have exceeded disposals every quarter, which has led to a quarterly increase in the open caseload.” Just under half of the open caseload is Single Justice Procedure (SJP) cases: 184,261 SJP and 195,969 non-SJP open cases at the end of June 2026, according to the release.
County Court: time to trial
Latest quarter: April to June 2026 (Q2 2026, provisional). Source: Civil justice statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, published 3 September 2026, main tables, Table 1.5. Times are weeks from issue of the claim to trial (or small claims hearing).
| Quarter | Small claims: median weeks | Small claims: mean weeks | Fast, intermediate and multi-track: median weeks | Fast, intermediate and multi-track: mean weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2025 | 40.3 | 49.0 | 62.0 | 72.6 |
| Q3 2025 | 39.1 | 49.2 | 59.9 | 73.8 |
| Q4 2025 | 36.4 | 47.4 | 57.8 | 70.7 |
| Q1 2026 (revised) | 38.1 | 47.0 | 55.7 | 69.5 |
| Q2 2026 (provisional) | 41.0 | 48.5 | 55.9 | 69.1 |
Table 1.5 gives these times to several decimal places; they are shown here to one decimal place, as in the release. In Q2 2026 there were 8,926 small claims trials and 2,995 fast, intermediate and multi-track trials (Table 1.5). The release notes: “The Timeliness metric for Small Claims only includes those cases concluding at trial rather than those concluded through other routes like mediation. There is regional variation within this metric with longer waiting times experienced in London and the South East.” Intermediate track trials have been included with fast and multi-track figures from Q3 2024.
Family courts: children cases
Latest quarter: April to June 2026 (Q2 2026). Source: Family court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, published 24 September 2026, family court tables 2b, 8 and 9.
Care and supervision proceedings (public law)
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Previous quarter (Q1 2026) | Year earlier (Q2 2025) | Source table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean time to disposal (weeks) | 37.2 | 37.0 | 38.0 | Table 8 |
| Median time to disposal (weeks) | 32.0 | 31.6 | 31.9 | Table 8 |
| Disposed within 26 weeks | 35.7% | 35.6% | 35.8% | Table 8 |
| Open public law cases at end of quarter | 10,539 | 10,098 | 9,930 | Table 2b |
The release rounds these to “37 weeks” and “36%” and describes the 26-week benchmark as “the 26-week limit introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014”. Of the open public law cases at the end of June 2026, 7,007 had been open for less than 26 weeks and 153 for 90 weeks or longer (Table 2b).
Private law (Children Act)
| Measure | Q2 2026 | Previous quarter (Q1 2026) | Year earlier (Q2 2025) | Source table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean time to disposal (weeks) | 33.5 | 34.6 | 36.8 | Table 9 |
| Median time to disposal (weeks) | 24.7 | 24.9 | 26.4 | Table 9 |
| Disposed within 26 weeks | 52.4% | 52.3% | 49.3% | Table 9 |
| Open private law cases at end of quarter | 41,637 | 40,857 | 36,571 | Table 2b |
Tables 8 and 9 give durations to three decimal places and proportions as fractions; they are shown here to one decimal place. The release states: “Timeliness in children cases continued to improve, with care and supervision and private law cases taking less time on average to reach disposal than in the same quarter last year.” It also records that the open caseload for both public and private law “continued to increase compared with the end of June 2025”.
Employment Tribunal
Latest quarter: April to June 2026 (Q1 2026/27, provisional). Source: Tribunals statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, first published 10 September 2026 and updated on 20 October 2026 with accessible tables, main tables S_2 (receipts), S_3 (disposals) and S_4 (open caseload). Tribunal statistics use financial-year quarters, so Q1 2026/27 is April to June 2026.
| Measure | Q1 2026/27 | Previous quarter (Q4 2025/26) | Year earlier (Q1 2025/26) | Source table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single claims: open caseload at end of quarter | 70,018 | 64,157 | 46,245 | Table S_4 |
| Single claims: receipts | 13,957 | 14,979 | 10,907 | Table S_2 |
| Single claims: disposals | 6,121 | 6,964 | 6,496 | Table S_3 |
| Multiple claims: open caseload at end of quarter | 466,727 | 466,686 | 453,186 | Table S_4 |
| Multiple claims: receipts | 10,710 | 7,321 | 13,172 | Table S_2 |
| Multiple claims: disposals | 4,052 | 5,621 | 5,742 | Table S_3 |
| Multiple lead cases: open at end of quarter | 7,576 | 7,512 | 7,075 | Table S_4 |
The release states: “Single claim open caseload (at 70,000) has reached its highest level in the timeseries in Q1 2026/27, up 51% compared to the same period in 2025/26.” On multiple claims it notes: “Multiple claims can represent many individual cases linked to a single employer, which is why their volumes can change sharply from quarter to quarter.” The Employment Tribunal figures combine two case management systems, and the release cautions: “We estimate the open caseload may still include approximate 3% overcount for Singles and Lead Multiples.”
Immigration and asylum appeals
Latest quarter: April to June 2026 (Q1 2026/27, provisional). Source: Tribunals statistics quarterly: April to June 2026, main tables S_2, S_3 and S_4.
| Measure | Q1 2026/27 | Previous quarter (Q4 2025/26) | Year earlier (Q1 2025/26) | Source table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-tier Tribunal (IAC): open caseload at end of quarter | 155,798 | 151,767 | 105,522 | Table S_4 |
| First-tier Tribunal (IAC): receipts | 21,762 | 27,714 | 27,534 | Table S_2 |
| First-tier Tribunal (IAC): disposals | 16,786 | 15,293 | 12,893 | Table S_3 |
| Upper Tribunal (IAC) judicial reviews: open caseload at end of quarter | 1,637 | 2,081 | 1,465 | Table S_4 |
The release states: “In the FTTIAC, the mean time taken to clear appeals across all categories was at 65 weeks in the latest quarter, 13 weeks longer compared to the same period a year ago.” Figures for Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) appeals are not available: since Q2 2021/22 the tables have excluded them, apart from judicial reviews, because the data was migrated to a new IT system and is not yet available.
All tribunals
Latest quarter: April to June 2026 (Q1 2026/27). Source: Tribunals statistics quarterly main tables S_4, “Interim Total” and Social Security and Child Support columns.
| Open caseload at end of quarter | Q1 2026/27 | Previous quarter (Q4 2025/26) | Year earlier (Q1 2025/26) | Source table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All tribunals (interim total) | 886,539 | 860,491 | 763,948 | Table S_4 |
| Social Security and Child Support | 129,273 | 113,099 | 79,380 | Table S_4 |
The interim total excludes the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), apart from judicial reviews, and, from Q3 2025/26, the Criminal Injuries Compensation tribunal. The release states: “Disposal volumes continue to be below receipts, as they have been for the last two years, meaning the open caseload has risen and stands at its highest level since Q2 2013/14.” It also records that a data quality issue identified in January 2026 means Social Security and Child Support open caseload is potentially over-reported by about 5,000 cases; the issue is being investigated and may lead to revisions.
Next scheduled releases
The statistics release calendar on GOV.UK lists the following provisional dates for the July to September 2026 figures:
- Civil justice statistics quarterly: 3 December 2026
- Criminal court statistics quarterly: 10 December 2026
- Tribunals statistics quarterly: 10 December 2026
- Family court statistics quarterly: 17 December 2026
The criminal court release says the Ministry of Justice aims “to start integrating new caseload data from the project into the next release of CCSQ in December 2026”, referring to its One Magistrates data project, and that the December publication “will be accompanied by a user consultation”.