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Crown Prosecution Service: Vacancies

Asked by Dr Neil Shastri-HurstConservativeAttorney GeneralTabled Answered 21 January 2026UIN 105908

The question

To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January to Question 103029, on Crown Prosecution Service: Vacancies, how the vacancy rate for Crown Prosecutors as of the end of December 2025 compares the preceding five years, broken down by region.

Answered by Ellie Reeves

The overall vacancy rate for ‘Crown Prosecutors’ across the 14 regional, geographic areas that make up the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is 4.5% (at the end of December 2025). The table below includes the regional breakdown for CPS vacancy rates applicable to these legal roles for December 2025 against the three preceding years only*.

Area

Dec-22

Dec-23

Dec-24

Dec-25

Cymru Wales

10.3%

6.0%

2.4%

7.0%

East of England

10.7%

6.0%

6.1%

3.9%

East Midlands

14.9%

8.8%

4.0%

8.6%

London North

1.5%

0.4%

0.9%

9.0%

London South

6.1%

4.7%

0.4%

-3.9%

Mersey Cheshire

5.4%

9.5%

-0.9%

2.6%

North East

12.1%

5.2%

6.1%

15.4%

North West

10.2%

1.7%

5.7%

-3.4%

South East

4.5%

1.8%

-1.2%

3.8%

South West

7.7%

14.1%

0.7%

-0.1%

Thames and Chiltern

7.5%

8.8%

7.4%

11.5%

Wessex

10.0%

5.5%

4.8%

1.3%

West Midlands

17.2%

7.3%

1.4%

6.9%

Yorkshire and Humberside

12.8%

5.0%

4.7%

4.0%

14 Geographic Areas

9.5%

5.6%

3.0%

4.5%

*The CPS does not hold information on vacancy rates dating back five years and has therefore provided the three years preceding December 2025 only.

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