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 | Family: Recruitment dates |
| London | 7 to 28 July 2025 12 January to 2 February 2026 | 6 to 27 October 2025 |
Midlands
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates | Family: Recruitment dates |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham & Solihull, Black Country, Coventry & Warwickshire | November 2025 | No Recruitment planned before April 2025 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | December 2025 | July 2025 |
| Leicestershire & Rutland, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire | January 2026 (Leicestershire & Rutland and Northamptonshire only) | July 2025 |
| Staffordshire and West Mercia | September 2025 (Staffordshire and Worcestershire only) | No recruitment planned before April 2025 |
North East
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates | Family: Recruitment dates |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland, County Durham and Darlington | No planned recruitment before April 2025 | May/June 2025 |
| Humber and South Yorkshire | July/August 2025 | No planned recruitment before April 2025 |
| North and West Yorkshire | Ongoing | No planned recruitment before 2025 |
| Northumbria | No planned recruitment before April 2025 | May/June 2025 |
North West
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates | Family: Recruitment dates |
|---|---|---|
| Cheshire | 30 June to 13 July 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 | November 2025 | November 2025 |
| Greater Manchester | April 2025 | No planned recruitment for 2025 |
| Merseyside | September 2025 | September 2025 |
| Cumbria | February 2025 | TBC |
South East
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates | Family: Recruitment dates |
|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | TBC | No planned recruitment for 2025 |
| Cambridgeshire and Essex | 10 to 14 July 2025 (Cambridgeshire only) | TBC |
| Kent | TBC | TBC |
| Norfolk and Suffolk | TBC | 8 to 17 September 2025 (Norfolk) 8 to 17 September 2025 (Suffolk) |
| Surrey and Sussex | 17 to 21 July 2025 (Sussex Central) 17 to 21 July 2025 (East Sussex) 17 to 21 July 2025 (West Sussex) | 8 to 22 September 2025 (Sussex) No planned recruitment for Surrey in 2025 |
| Thames Valley | No planned recruitment for Oxfordshire (Oxon) in 2025 | TBC |
South West
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates | Family: Recruitment dates |
|---|---|---|
| Avon, Somerset and Gloucestershire | September to October 2025 | May 2025 |
| Devon, Cornwall and Dorset | September to October 2025 | May 2025 |
| Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Wiltshire | September to October 2025 | May 2025 |
Wales
| AC Area | Criminal: Recruitment dates | Family: Recruitment dates |
|---|---|---|
| North Wales | 1 to 15 September 2025 2 to 16 March 2026 | No planned recruitment in 2025. TBC for 2026. |
| South Wales | 1 to 15 September 2025 2 to 16 March 2026 | No planned recruitment in 2025. TBC for 2026. |
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 | Teulu: Dyddiadau recriwtio |
|---|---|---|
| Gogledd Cymru | 1 i 15 Medi 2025 2 i 16 Mawrth 2026 | Dim ymgyrch recriwtio i’r llys teulu wedi’i drefnu ar gyfer Gogledd Cymru yn 2025. I’w gadarnhau 2026. |
| De Cymru | 1 i 15 Medi 2025 2 i 16 Mawrth 2026 | Dim ymgyrch recriwtio i’r llys teulu wedi’i drefnu ar gyfer De Cymru yn 2025. I’w gadarnhau 2026. |