Hearing similar cases in short, intensive blocks is intended to help Crown Courts in England reduce their backlogs. The Ministry of Justice announced on 12 October 2026 that it was expanding the Short Trial Courts scheme, previously known as Blitz Courts. It pointed to results at London’s Old Bailey, where, according to its figures, almost half of a designated group of outstanding cases involving assaults on emergency workers have now been completed.
The scheme changes how court work is organised rather than imposing a statutory time limit on each trial. Grouping similar proceedings is intended to make better use of judges’ experience, prosecutors’ time and court staff’s expertise. The name Short Trial Courts therefore does not mean that every trial must finish within a fixed, short period.
The scheme is being used at the Old Bailey, Snaresbrook and Croydon Crown Court in London, as well as at courts in Liverpool, Preston and Nottingham. Crown Courts hear criminal cases. According to the ministry’s announcement, removing the cap on Crown Court sitting days is allowing proceedings involving domestic abuse, drug offences and knife crime, among others, to be accelerated.
Old Bailey results relate to a specific group of cases
Over the summer, two courtrooms at the Old Bailey were designated to deal with a backlog of almost 500 cases involving assaults on emergency workers. The ministry says nearly 50% of those cases have now been completed. Judges then decided to accelerate proceedings involving possession of a bladed article.
That result applies only to the identified group of cases at the Old Bailey, not to the overall Crown Court backlog. Completing a case does not automatically mean a conviction: the ministry has not specified the outcomes. Both the figures and the assessment of the scheme’s effectiveness come from its announcement.
Scheme under way, while legislative changes remain planned
Separately, the ministry said the Courts and Tribunals Bill, proposed legislation concerning courts and tribunals, would return to Parliament during the week of the announcement. The government plans to table an amendment removing proposals to restrict jury trials from the bill. This is a planned change to draft legislation, not confirmation of a change to the law currently in force.
The ministry also pledged further investment in court technology and resources to enable more cases to be heard. The announcement refers to millions more for new technology, but gives neither an exact amount nor a detailed investment timetable. For now, grouping proceedings under the Short Trial Courts scheme remains the concrete organisational measure being used to tackle the backlog.
