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<p /> <p>The annual figures, as calculated at the end of the financial year, for the
number of serving magistrates, for each year between 2005 and 2015, are given in the
table below. Although magistrates are generally assigned to one local bench, they
have jurisdiction to sit across England and Wales and, as a result, we can only show
figures for the two countries combined.</p><p>The downturn in the number of magistrates,
and the recruitment of new magistrates, are a natural consequence of falling workloads
in the magistrates’ courts, due to falling crime and increased use of out of court
disposals.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year End</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number
of Serving Magistrates in England & Wales</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31
March 2005</p></td><td><p>28,300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2006</p></td><td><p>28,865</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31
March 2007</p></td><td><p>29,841</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2008</p></td><td><p>29,419</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31
March 2009</p></td><td><p>29,270</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2010</p></td><td><p>28,607</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31
March 2011</p></td><td><p>26,966</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2012</p></td><td><p>25,104</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31
March 2013</p></td><td><p>23,387</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31 March 2014</p></td><td><p>21,396</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31
March 2015</p></td><td><p>19,634</p></td></tr></tbody></table>
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