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Body advises Britain to lift judges’ pay

A body that advises the British Government on public-sector pay has recommended a 6% pay increase for judges, according to the Law Society Gazette of England and Wales.

The above-inflation rise is aimed at addressing a recruitment crisis that has left gaps across the justice system.

The annual report of the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) referred to “significant and persistent” problems in filling some judicial vacancies, saying the problem had worsened in the last year.

‘Quality’ concerns

In the last district (civil) judge recruitment campaign, just 49 out of 100 vacancies were filled, while the SSRB said that, even where the last drive to take on circuit bench judges was successful, the “quality” of applicants was in “long-term decline”.

While pay was not the only factor affecting recruitment, the SSRB said that a 6% increase across all judicial roles should have a positive effect.

According to the Gazette, it was careful to stress that the blanket increase recommendation was not a sign that salary levels were set correctly, with more evidence needed to provide specific proposals for each judicial role.

Pay cut

Surveys on the pre-appointment earnings of recently appointed judges show that most take significant reductions in pay on leaving legal practice to join the bench.

The Bar Council reported last year that self-employed KCs earn between £200,000 and £900,000 on average – meaning they would have to accept a significant cut if they wanted to apply for the judiciary.

The SSRB also pointed to evidence that many judges felt that their workload was too high, and that they were not paid a reasonable salary for the work they did.