London’s newest court centre opened for business today, and the mouseinthecourt was on hand to see how this brand-new tribunal coped with its first day of live hearings.
7 Newgate Street, City of London
You can tell it’s the first day at the London Tribunals Centre as access to the lift is temporarily blocked by two large locker units being wrestled out by staff.
On my journey to the third floor a staff member, clutching a still-boxed-laptop destined for a judge, says “we still don’t know where everything is”. I’m told HMCTS staff have been in the building for two weeks now, but today is the first day of hearings.
“That just really shouldn’t be there” comments another staff member to another, pointing at a large wheelie bin outside the lifts. She later swaps the bin for a notice board and tells a workman where to place it on the wall.
Apart from these minor snags the building seems, at face value, to be in good condition. Plentiful seating, although sprawled out across many rooms, replete with access to power sockets, and WiFi access. (These last two points will be welcome news to journalists and court users alike.)
With 30 hearings rooms, 11 apparently designated as ‘informal’, we’re told this “will be one of the largest tribunal centres in Europe” and “…a real landmark for the HMCTS estate“. It’s expected that Employment Tribunal hearings from the aptly named Victory House, and Social Security and Child Support Tribunals from Fox Court, will be heard here allowing the closure of those venues.
Today, alas, only 5 hearing rooms are sitting. (It’s not immediately clear whether these are formal or informal hearings).
Sadly, for this reporter, the fickle finger of fate has decided that the hearing I picked to observe, inevitably isn’t effective. The claimant, said to have suffered discrimination and unfair dismissal from Marks and Spencer PLC, hasn’t turned up for his 5-day-trial.
Some efforts are made to reach the claimant, who tells court staff that he didn’t think the hearing was going ahead, and is now unable to take any time off from work to attend at all.
After hearing submissions from Marks and Spencer’s barrister that the claim should be struck out, employment judge Emma Webster, sitting with R Pell and S McLaughlin, explains the tribunal will adjourn to consider matters asking “do you leave the room, or do we leave the room?” The problem – the members of the bench do not have a retiring room as “there’s just a corridor out there“.
Judge Webster explains that “this a brand new hearing venue and this is the first day of live hearings” before adding “you get a medal for attending“, prompting a chuckle from the Marks and Sparks team.
Adjourning for several minutes, having visited the corridor, the bench returns to confirm they will strike out the claim.
Whilst acknowledging the wasted morning Judge Webster tells those present some parting words: “you got to attend this brand new building, which might be exciting for [the respondent’s barrister], if no one else.“
A wasted opportunity, this correspondent feels, not to elbow M+S into provide catering to this new venue. For all its size and ambition, “the largest tribunal centre in Europe” currently offers neither a canteen nor a café.
Mouse in the Court 