You can use our Court & Tribunal Finder service to find local court or tribunal contact details, facilities provided, parking information, and opening hours.

You should also be aware of our security advice on items that are not allowed in our buildings.

If you have any concerns about coming to a court or tribunal and what to expect please speak to a member of staff. If you are interested in visiting the court before your hearing, staff may be able to arrange that for you. Staff can advise you on procedures, give you the forms you need. They cannot give you legal advice. If you need legal advice you may be able to get it free from a law centre, Citizens Advice or a consumer advice centre or you can contact Community Legal Advice (tel 0845 345 4345).

Who are the people in court

We know that coming to court as a witness or to give evidence can be a daunting experience. To help put you at ease we have created these short videos to introduce you to the people you will see in the courtroom.

The magistrates’ court

The Crown Court

The County Court

Citizens Advice Witness Service provide free and independent support for both prosecution and defence witnesses in criminal courts in England and Wales. Victims and witnesses are entitled to visit the court before the trial date to familiarise themselves with the building, the court room, and to try any special measures that have been agreed. You can arrange these visits via the Witness Service.

Most courts and tribunals have separate waiting areas for victims, witnesses and jurors if applicable.

As you may be at court for a while on the day of the trial, you may like to bring some things to help you pass the time, like a book, newspaper or magazine.

Help available for customers with a disability

If you have a disability and would like help to access our information and services, please contact a member of staff at the court or tribunal you are visiting to discuss what help you need. If you are a textphone user you should dial 18001 before the relevant court or tribunal telephone number:

Code of practice and Witness Charter

There is a code of practice governing services to be provided in England and Wales to victims of criminal conduct which occurred in England and Wales.

The Witness Charter sets out how you can expect to be treated by the police if you are a witness to a crime or incident, and if you are asked to give evidence in a criminal court.

Juror advice and help

For information on when to arrive on the first day, please see your confirmation letter. For the days that follow, you will be told when to arrive at court. The court normally sits from 10am to 4:30pm each day. Sometimes the judge may ask you to sit more or less hours, depending on the way the trial progresses. Court staff will tell you about times for lunch.

Court staff might ask you to provide a contact name and number of a family member or friend in case they need to speak to someone in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Find out more about jury service.

Advice to the Prime Minister on important questions the industrial strategy should address and how the government might do so.

This is a major milestone in preparations at the naval base where £100m has been invested by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

USNS Robert E Peary on the Jetty

The jetty, parts of which date back over 90 years, has been refurbished to prepare for the first of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. This is in addition to the dredging of the approach channel, inner harbour area and berth in order to make them deep and wide enough for the new ships, moving three million cubic metres of clay, sand and gravel from an area the size of 200 football pitches.

Bespoke navigational lights, a high-voltage electrical supply and specialist carrier-specific gangways, known as ‘brows’ are also being provided as part of the huge programme of works. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has worked with VolkerStevin and BAE Systems to deliver the package of infrastructure needed for the carriers.

DIO Project Manager Philip Wise said:

“I am delighted that the works to the jetty are completed. It is a crucial element of the £100m infrastructure package being delivered to support the arrival of the carriers into their homeport of Portsmouth. We are looking forward to seeing the first of the ships berthing against the new and improved jetty later this year.”

With the core jetty works complete and new specialist equipment delivered, the Naval Base’s preparations for the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Carriers are centred on a programme of Familiarisation, Integration and Testing, otherwise known as FIT.

This has been designed by BAE Systems on behalf of the Portsmouth Naval Base Commander and Naval Base staff to prepare equipment, personnel and processes for the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers. They provide a valuable means to practice and refine standard operating procedures designed for the QEC and to role-play emergency scenarios.

David Mitchard, Managing Director, BAE Systems Maritime Services said:

“In readiness for the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth our team at BAE Systems in Portsmouth has put in place a rigorous testing programme for the new infrastructure at the Naval Base. We have a long expertise in maritime support and servicing and are committed to delivering the most innovative and cost-effective solutions to the Royal Navy for these remarkable ships.”

Today (10th March) saw the start of Phase 3 of the FIT trials, using the visit to the Naval Base of the 40,000 Tonne United States Naval Ship Robert E. Peary for live testing of people, processes and equipment.

Royal Navy Captain Iain Greenlees, the QEC Infrastructure Director said:  

“This jetty lies at the very heart of the preparations for the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth and the wider development of the Base for this century.  It is tangible evidence of how close we are to the dawn of the QEC era and I am proud of the way the Royal Navy, DIO and Volkerstevin have been able to work together on this challenging project to get us ready for today.”

This is a major milestone in preparations at the naval base where £100m has been invested by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

USNS Robert E Peary on the Jetty

The jetty, parts of which date back over 90 years, has been refurbished to prepare for the first of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. This is in addition to the dredging of the approach channel, inner harbour area and berth in order to make them deep and wide enough for the new ships, moving three million cubic metres of clay, sand and gravel from an area the size of 200 football pitches.

Bespoke navigational lights, a high-voltage electrical supply and specialist carrier-specific gangways, known as ‘brows’ are also being provided as part of the huge programme of works. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has worked with VolkerStevin and BAE Systems to deliver the package of infrastructure needed for the carriers.

DIO Project Manager Philip Wise said:

“I am delighted that the works to the jetty are completed. It is a crucial element of the £100m infrastructure package being delivered to support the arrival of the carriers into their homeport of Portsmouth. We are looking forward to seeing the first of the ships berthing against the new and improved jetty later this year.”

With the core jetty works complete and new specialist equipment delivered, the Naval Base’s preparations for the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Carriers are centred on a programme of Familiarisation, Integration and Testing, otherwise known as FIT.

This has been designed by BAE Systems on behalf of the Portsmouth Naval Base Commander and Naval Base staff to prepare equipment, personnel and processes for the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers. They provide a valuable means to practice and refine standard operating procedures designed for the QEC and to role-play emergency scenarios.

David Mitchard, Managing Director, BAE Systems Maritime Services said:

“In readiness for the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth our team at BAE Systems in Portsmouth has put in place a rigorous testing programme for the new infrastructure at the Naval Base. We have a long expertise in maritime support and servicing and are committed to delivering the most innovative and cost-effective solutions to the Royal Navy for these remarkable ships.”

Today (10th March) saw the start of Phase 3 of the FIT trials, using the visit to the Naval Base of the 40,000 Tonne United States Naval Ship Robert E. Peary for live testing of people, processes and equipment.

Royal Navy Captain Iain Greenlees, the QEC Infrastructure Director said:  

“This jetty lies at the very heart of the preparations for the arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth and the wider development of the Base for this century.  It is tangible evidence of how close we are to the dawn of the QEC era and I am proud of the way the Royal Navy, DIO and Volkerstevin have been able to work together on this challenging project to get us ready for today.”

Today’s event saw current and ex-apprentices from across England take part in a photo call on the door step of Number 10 Downing Street – to celebrate 10 years of National Apprenticeship Week. Apprentices were invited to Number 10 for this exciting opportunity and even got to go inside for a tour. They were accompanied by Sue Husband, Director, National Apprenticeship Service, and David Hill, Apprenticeships Director, DfE.

An IBM event on Cyber Security apprenticeships also took place on the last day of National Apprenticeship Week 2017. The event included a presentation on the Cyber Security apprenticeship standard, with employer presentations and input from apprentices.

Friday’s events bring to an end the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week 2017 – themed ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ – which started on Monday 6 March with a launch event at Barclays HQ at Canary Wharf, London. Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening MP addressed an audience of employers and apprentices at the launch event, outlining just some of the apprenticeship highlights from the last decade.

On Tuesday, a webinar ran by The Big Assembly gave 10,000 individuals taking part the opportunity to hear first-hand from apprentices, employers and the Minister for Skills, Robert Halfon.

Wednesday’s events included a visit to the House of Commons for five apprentice ambassadors from the North West and North East Young Apprentice Ambassador Networks. They met with Minister for Skills, Robert Halfon to discuss how their successful networks can be rolled out nationally.

A return trip to the House of Commons was made on Thursday, with 170 apprentices and 40 employers taking part in an ‘Apprentices take over the Commons’ event. Nus Ghani MP and chair of the Apprenticeship Diversity Network addressed the audience, alongside Minister for Skills, Robert Halfon, David Meller, chair of the National Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and chair of the Apprenticeship Delivery Board and Joe Billington, Deputy Director, National Apprenticeship Service.

Also taking place on Thursday was the unveiling of a JCB, built by 68 apprentices and 3 graduates from JCB’s Loadall Division. The build took 568 hours from design to completion and involved 775 nuts and bolts to complete. The machine will later this year be auctioned with all proceeds going to charity.

The Unipres Training Academy was formally opened on Thursday too, by Sharon Hodgson MP, Unipres Managing Director Gary Graham and Sunderland City Council deputy leader Councillor Harry Trueman. The training facility will be used to train existing staff and 100 apprentices each year – ensuring when they leave the training facility and move onto the automotive production line, they are fully trained and work ready.

As National Apprenticeship Week 2017 draws to a close, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Robert Halfon said:

“This year’s National Apprenticeship Week has truly been one remember. Not only have we been celebrating the best of the best in apprenticeships, this government has also put skills at the heart of the Budget with £500m for new technical routes to rival A Levels.

“But National Apprenticeship Week is all about the people behind the announcements. I have met some amazing apprentices during this week of different ages and backgrounds who are inspiring, driven and on the ladder of opportunity to fulfil their potential. I want to wish every apprentice across the country the very best of luck in their future careers.”

Sue Husband, Director, National Apprenticeship Service concluded:

“This 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week has been a huge triumph. We have witnessed an array of events taking place up and down the country – some run by apprentices, some run by employers themselves – all with the common aim to showcase the brilliance of apprenticeships and the numerous job roles and sectors they are available in.

“And, the shining stars of National Apprenticeship Week 2017 have to be the apprentices themselves – they have supported the Week on social media, they have addressed audiences at events and they have showcased really well the benefits apprenticeships have brought to their professional and personal lives.”

Over 530 events took place during National Apprenticeship Week 2017 and included business breakfasts, careers fairs, opening evenings and even a five-a-side football tournament.

To find out more about National Apprenticeship Week 2017, visit our page on GOV.UK.