The Guardian
Increased openness is a change for the better. But cuts have made the courts’ work far harder Opening up family courts in England and Wales to journalists was never intended to solve all their problems. This is a public service that, like so many others, is chronically overloaded and underfunded. While the number of children in council care fell slightly last year, the figure of 81,770 in England was still 16% higher than a decade ago. Recent increases in legal aid fees applied only to immigration, housing and criminal cases – leaving family lawyers out. But new rules about what can be reported are an important legacy of the court’s president, Sir Andrew McFarlane, who retired on Monday. These apply both to public law cases, involving care proceedings, and private law cases, which are usually disputes between couples. Following the national rollout of transparency orders , which enable reporters and legal bloggers to write about cases as long as they protect anonymity, his successor – who is yet to be announced – will inherit a more open family justice system. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
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