Growing concerns about personal safety, more judges saying they have been bullied, high stress levels 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 a worrying 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.

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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.

Asked about stress for the first time, nearly all judges experienced stress as a result of the job, with circuit and High Court family judges reporting the highest stress levels. The most common sympton was sleep disturbance, followed by irritability and headaches.

The report suggests a looming recruitment and retention 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 retirement age.

Many judges are wanting to quit early due to the increase in their workload, further demands to work out of hours and limits on their pay.

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.

 

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