It will be the first time the justices have sat outside one of the four UK capital cities
The UK Supreme Court has announced that it will be sitting in Manchester for the first time in March next year.
The North West city will host five Supreme Court justices, including president Lord Reed, for three cases. Hearings, which are open to the public, are scheduled to take place between 6 and 9 March 2023 in the Manchester Civil Justice Centre (pictured).
In the announcement, Lord Reed noted that “the cases we hear in Manchester will be live streamed via our website for everyone who cannot get to see us in person”, stressing the Supreme Court’s commitment to being “one of the most open and accessible courts in the world”.
Britain’s top court, which is based in Parliament Square in central London, has heard cases from Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff before, but never in a city that was not one of the UK’s four capital cities.
His honour judge Bird, designated civil judge, senior circuit judge at Manchester Civil and Family Justice Centre, said:
“I am delighted to welcome the Supreme Court to Manchester. We are proud that the North-West has been chosen as the first place outside a UK capital to host a Supreme Court sitting.”
He continued: “Accessible justice matters to everyone and I hope that having the Supreme Court at the Manchester Civic Justice Centre will encourage more people to take an interest in justice both locally and nationally.”