The Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committees (AC) on Justices of the Peace are advisory non-departmental public bodies which carry out functions on behalf of the Lord Chancellor. The Recruitment Advisory Committees, along with other key functions are to recruit and recommend to the Senior Presiding Judge (Exercising functions on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice) candidates for appointment to the magistrates. A full list of functions and the role of Advisory Committees can be found in Part one of the Lord Chancellor’s Directions.
All information regarding AC recruitment opening times for Criminal and Family courts is available in the below tables. Please note that these are subject to change.
The recruitment plan is broken down by region and area, please visit the table for your region to find out more about the recruitment plan in your area:
London
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates (month) | Family: Recruitment dates (month) |
| London | 7 to 28 July 2025 | 6 to 27 October 2025 |
Midlands
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates (month) | Family: Recruitment dates (month) |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham & Solihull | Postponed to a later date (TBC) | No Recruitment planned before April 2025 |
| Northern Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire & Southern Derbyshire | Postponed to a later date (TBC) | No recruitment planned before April 2025 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland & Northamptonshire | Postponed to a later date (TBC) | No recruitment planned before April 2025 |
| Staffordshire | Postponed to a later date (TBC) | No recruitment planned before April 2025 |
North East
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment Dates (month) | Family: Recruitment Dates (month) |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland, County Durham and Darlington | No planned recruitment before April 2025 | No planned recruitment before April 2025 |
| Humber and South Yorkshire | No planned recruitment before April 2025 | No planned recruitment before April 2025 |
| North and West Yorkshire | 1 January to 28 February 2025 (West Yorkshire only) | No planned recruitment before 2025 |
| Northumbria | No planned recruitment before April 2025 | No planned recruitment before April 2025 |
North West
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment Dates (month) | Family: Recruitment Dates (month) |
|---|---|---|
| Cheshire | 16 to 30 June 2025 | No planned recruitment for 2025 |
| South Cumbria | No planned recruitment for 2025 | No planned recruitment for 2025 |
| North & West Cumbria | 3 to 17 February 2025 | No planned recruitment for 2025 |
| Lancashire | 3 to 17 November 2025 | 3 to 17 November 2025 |
| Greater Manchester | 22 to 28 April 2025 | No planned recruitment for 2025 |
| Merseyside | 1 to 15 September 2025 | 1 to 15 September 2025 |
South East
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment Dates (month) | Family: Recruitment Dates (month) |
|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 31 March to 14 April 2025 (Bedfordshire) No planned recruitment for West and Central Hertfordshire and North and East Hertfordshire in 2025 | No planned recruitment for 2025 |
| Cambridgeshire and Essex | 20 February to 6 March 2025 (South Essex) 17 to 31 March 2025 (North Essex) | 25 February to 18 March 2025 (Essex) 9 to 19 May 2025 (Cambridgeshire) |
| Kent | 20 February to 6 March 2025 (East Kent) 31 March to 14 April 2025 (Central Kent) 31 March to 9 April 2025 (North Kent) | 25 February to 18 March 2025 |
| Norfolk and Suffolk | 25 February to 11 March 2025 (Suffolk) 6 to 20 May 2025 (Norfolk) | 8 to 17 September 2025 (Norfolk) 8 to 17 September 2025 (Suffolk) |
| Surrey and Sussex | 30 June to 9 July 2025 (Surrey) | 8 to 22 September 2025 (Sussex) No planned recruitment for Surrey in 2025 |
| Thames Valley | 25 February to 11 March 2025 (Buckinghamshire) 9 to 19 May 2025 (Berkshire) No planned recruitment for Oxfordshire (Oxon) in 2025 | 9 to 19 May 2025 |
South West
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment Dates (month) | Family: Recruitment Dates (month) |
|---|---|---|
| Avon, Somerset and Gloucestershire | TBC | March 2025 |
| Devon, Cornwall and Dorset | July 2024 | April 2024 |
| Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Wiltshire | TBC | March 2025 |
Wales
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment Dates (month) | Family: Recruitment Dates (month) |
|---|---|---|
| North Wales | 1 to 18 November 2024 | 1 to 16 September 2024 |
| South Wales | 1 to 18 November 2024 | 1 to 16 September 2024 |
Mae’r holl wybodaeth am amserlen recriwtio y Llysoedd Troseddol a’r Llysoedd Teulu yng Nghymru ar gael yn y tabl isod. Sylwch y gall hyn newid.
Cymru
| Ardal Pwyllgor Ymgynghorol | Troseddol: Dyddiadau Recriwtio (mis) | Teulu: Dyddiadau Recriwtio (mis) |
|---|---|---|
| Gogledd Cymru | 1 – 18 o Dachwedd 2024 | 1 – 16 Medi 2024 |
| De Cymru | 1 – 18 o Dachwedd 2024 | 1 – 16 Medi 2024 |