The minutes from the May 2021 National Employment Tribunal user group are now available here. A summary (by me; not an official summary) is set out below.
General Update
Over the past couple of months, tribunals have been switching over the case management system from Ethos to Employment Case Management (ECM). This has unfortunately led to a disruption of the data exported on cases received/disposed of. The President expects the data to be available by the end of the month. As of March 2021, there were approx. 44,000 outstanding claims; a slight improvement on the 45,000 in January of this year. The President attributed this mainly to the use of CVP.
Most regions are currently listing 1 to 2 day cases in the second half of 2021, 3 to 5 day cases in the first half of 2022 and 5 to 10 day cases in the second half of 2022. This will of course vary by region but is a helpful overview of the general position.
Region Specific Updates
London Central
Due to the previous closure of Victory House, tribunal staff are managing a backlog and therefore tribunal users should avoid telephoning if possible and are advised to email londoncentralet@justice.gov.uk with their enquiries. Regional Employment Judge Wade requested that parties provide their case details, the hearing date (if any) and the name of the judge (if allocated) if possible. Most hearings at London Central are taking place via CVP, with limited capacity for in-person hearings.
London South
Regional Employment Judge Freer addressed the concerns over last minute postponements, explaining that the London South region was very short of salaried judges, unfortunately meaning cases have to be turned away. He is hopeful that the appointment of new salaried judges in 2021 will assist.
South-east England
Much like London South, Regional Employment Judge Foxwell stated that the South-East region, in particular Watford, is also short of salaried judges. Additionally, the South-East region is the biggest region in England and Wales, receiving nearly a fifth of all single claims. Judge Foxwell is working with HMCTS to improve processes, acknowledging the short-fall in administration at Watford at the moment.
North-west England
Regional Employment Judge Franey is not facing quite the same shortfall of salaried judges however the case load is still very high. The pilot scheme of compulsory ADR hearings is being adopted.
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