Judicial salary review put on hold until next year

The review of the judicial salary structure has been put on hold until a new judicial lead and permanent chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body are appointed, the lord chancellor has revealed.

In an open letter to SSRB’s interim chair Pippa Lambert, Dominic Raab requested recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for all judicial office holders, setting a deadline of May 2023.

He said: 'I understand your concerns about starting a major review before a new judicial lead and permanent chair of the SSRB are appointed and so have taken the decision not to commission such a review this year.

'However, I am mindful that such a review should be undertaken at the earliest opportunity.'

The last major review was in 2018, where issues of recruitment particularly at High Court circuit and district bench level, were highlighted.

Raab’s letter added: 'The demands on the courts mean that we continue to face some shortfalls in the Circuit Bench and the District Bench, and the level of fee paid judges applying for salaried office continues to be an issue.

’These areas would be a likely focus of a future major review.'

Judges recieved a 3% rise in 2022/23 - a figure significantly below the then 9.4% rate of inflation and less than the recommendations set out by the SSRB.

The letter, released today, said: 'Pay awards must strike a careful balance – recognising the vital importance of the judiciary to our justice system, whilst delivering value for the taxpayer, not increasing the country’s debt further, and being careful not to drive prices even higher in the future.'

When requesting the SSRB’s recommendations, Raab added: 'In the current economic context, it is particularly important that you have regards for government inflation target when forming recommendations.'