The Supreme Court ‘must not appear to be trapped in a London “bubble”’, Lady Hale, President of the Supreme Court, has emphasised in the court’s annual report.
She highlighted the court’s first sitting outside of London, in Edinburgh for four days last June. Another key development in the past year was the use of video link equipment to reduce the need for parties to travel to London for brief hearings. The court heard 85 appeals and delivered 78 judgments, and had net operating costs of £4.7m.
The report, published this week, notes the arrival of three new Justices in the past year, Lady Black, Lord Lloyd-Jones and Lord Briggs.
Meanwhile, Scottish judge Lord Reed has been appointed Deputy President of the Supreme Court, replacing Lord Mance who retired this week.
Lord Reed practiced at the Scottish Bar in a wide range of civil cases, and also prosecuted serious crime, before being appointed a Court of Session judge and then a Justice.
