The Isle of Wight could be about to get a new coroners' court to tackle the growing backlog of inquests on the Island.

The Isle of Wight Council has set aside more than £80,000 to redevelop the first floor of its offices at Seaclose, Newport.

As previously reported, the Island has one of the highest average times to process an inquest, the Ministry of Justice has said.

Overall, the average time it took the Isle of Wight Coroner, Caroline Sumeray, to conclude an inquest in 2022 was 63 weeks. The average across England and Wales is 30 weeks. 

Read more: Isle of Wight Coroner Court inquest statistics for 2022

Currently, the coroners service has to rely on facilities at the Isle of Wight law courts in Quay Street, Newport.

The council has said the inability to use the Isle of Wight Crown Court — the only courtroom on the Island with dedicated jury facilities, since the summer of 2022 — is partly to blame for the delays.

The authority said, this, combined with reduced capacity within the coroner’s team, has significantly impacted the way in which the coroner has been able to deliver the service.

The council's £86,000 investment aims to provide dedicated coroners' court facilities on the Island for the first time.

Plans include a large courtroom, jury retiring room, conference rooms and modern office space.

Coroner, Caroline Sumeray, said: "Attending an inquest can be a distressing experience for relatives and loved ones, and we do all we can to ensure anyone attending is made to feel as comfortable as possible.

“The new facilities at Seaclose will allow the coroners service to have readily available access to a court, which will facilitate the hearing of cases more efficiently, helping to minimise any stress or uncertainty which can come with waiting for an inquest and ensuring that families of the bereaved have their inquests at the earliest opportunity."

Councillor Karen Lucioni, cabinet member for bereavement services, added: "We are keen to assist the senior coroner in processing her caseload and having a courtroom which she can use can only have a positive benefit for families and in delivering an effective service.

"When not being used as a court the room will provide a large multi-functional room for the delivery of the council’s other services.”

The coroners service annually manages an average of 775 reported deaths.

It is hoped the first inquests will be held at Seaclose by September 2024.