Growing concerns about personal safety, more judges saying they have been bullied and a looming recruitment crisis as the courts tackle a record case backlog: these are some of the key findings of the latest official sounding of the judiciary.
Over a year after a family judge was attacked in court, the 2024 UK Judicial Attitude Survey reveals an alarming rise in the number of judges concerned about their safety since 2022, when they were last surveyed.
The number of judges concerned about their safety in court was steadily falling between 2016, when the question was first asked, and 2022. However, it has shot back up – with 39% of judges now worried about their safety, compared with 27% in 2022. The percentage of judges concerned about safety out of court has also risen – from 19% in 2022 to 26% in 2024.
The number of salaried judges and fee-paid earners who say they have experienced bullying has risen – from 11% and 5% respectively in 2022 to 14% and 7% in 2024. First-tier tribunal judges had the highest levels of experience of bullying, closely followed by district judges in the county court and High Court judges.
Asked about the type of bullying experienced, nearly half of salaried and fee-paid judges cited the undermining of their work, overbearing leadership, and ridiculing or demeaning language.
Over two-thirds of salaried and fee-paid judges who said they experienced bullying did not report it, feeling it would make no difference or concerned about how it would affect their future on the bench.
The report also suggests a looming recruitment crisis. Some 588 fee-paid judicial office-holders are currently considering applying for a salaried post. However, 790 salaried judges are expected to leave the judiciary in the next five years – 699 intend to quit early and 91 will reach the compulsory retirement age.
An increase in workload was the top reason cited by judges wanting to quit early, followed by limits on pay awards and further remands for out of hours working.
The lady chief justice will undoubtedly be asked about the latest survey findings when she appears before the House of Lords constitution committee on Wednesday.
