This is probably one for Tony Bowman.

Appeals from Basingstoke go to the Tribunal venue in Reading rather than the equidistant Hampshire venue of Aldershot (it has to be said that reading is a much easier journey by public transport).

Today wearing my Social Policy Coordinator's hat I was given details of two clients with pending appeals who had been waiting for ages after sending in the enquiry form to Birmingham. Fortuitously the same adviser saw both and on ringing Brimingham got exactly the same story - that ther is a huge backlog of cases because there is only one tribunal a week there, and they couldn't give any idea of when the cases might be heard. Two e-befs duly completed.

Now about a year ago I heard a rumour that the Reading venue was to be closed, though clearly it hasn't, Does anyone know anything about this? Should we have a local social policy drive and get MPs involved? Is there a Tribunal Users group for Reading venue?

There used to be a Tribunal users group at the Reading venue, as i used to attend when working in a previous post. It was also quite well attended by CAB advisers and a variety of Reps from that region. It was run by the District chair (District Judge these days) whose name has currently slipped my mind.

Wonder if this is the standard "how to close a rail service" tactic.

Advertise a service; cancel it time and time again and then say no one uses it, so it must be closed as it isn't cost effective....

Not that I am in any way cynical whatsoever....

Update.... A LA Appeals Officer has very kindly forwarded some information that may be relevant to this thread. He has given full permission for the following to be posted:

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At the last user group meeting on 28/7/09, the following was said about the Reading venue (taken from the minutes):-

6. A great deal of concern was expressed about the delay being encountered in the listing of Reading appeals. Appeals can now take up to six months between their being lodged with the FTA and being heard. This is always problematic but particularly so in HB cases when possession proceedings have begun.

7.Miss Burns acknowledged the problems with the venue. She explained that there is difficulty obtaining a tribunal room for SSCS use as often as we need one. SSCS estimate is that we now need one most days every week and the Employment Tribunal will only make one available on two, sometimes three, days each week. The SSCS need for additional space at the venue has been reported to the Senior President and the Chief Executive of the Tribunal Service. Miss Burns also acknowledged difficulties with clerks at both Reading and Oxford in that they were no longer controlled by Birmingham but by South East Region. Steps are being taken by administrators to resolve the accommodation problem by renting temporary premises, using other judicial premises such as the court, using nearby tribunal venues such as Oxford or Aldershot, or having greater use of the ET rooms. Of those the latter remains the preferred alternative because of familiarity of the premises. Miss Burns agreed that the present delays were unacceptable.

Jessica Burns is the Regional Judge and Godfrey Cole is the District Judge. In order to get onto the User Group an e-mail should be sent to janet.hunt@tribunals.gsi.gov.uk The next meeting is in 2010, but no specific date has been set as yet.
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The Appeals Officer observes that if Basingstokes appeals have been transferred to Reading, this will inevitably add to the pressure already affecting all concerned.

Basingstoke appeals have been at Reading for yonks! Certainly at least 6 years. They were at Aldershot in supplementary benefit days, but tha's going back some time.

We've experienced delays up to nine months in getting appeals heard.

We heard an unconfirmed rumour today that a new venue will opening temporarily near the Madjeski Stadium to ease the problems at the Reading venue.

Oh, and yes, there was a rumour that the Reading venue was to be closed and cases transferred to the Oxford Venue. This seems to be been put on the back burner for now.

However, there have been one or two occassions where I've been contacted by TTS seeking permission for individual cases to be heard at Oxford because of the delay.

And I remember the Aldershot Venue well. That's where I started in this malarkey...

Interestingly one of our clients has just received notice of a hearing date at Aldershot. No idea whether she requested it when she got her enquiry form, or whether this is another attempt at the problem.

When you were going to Aldershot Tony was it still held in the Mags court, with people periodically wandering in looking for the fines office which was across the corridor? Or had it already moved to Arcade Chambers, which is actually quite a decent little venue?

It was already in the Arcade Chambers, Ariadne. My first appeal would have been no earlier than 1996.