Update · England and Wales
The government's guide for witnesses still names the wrong provider
Seven months after the Witness Service moved to Victim Support, GOV.UK still sends witnesses outside London to Citizens Advice.
On 1 April 2026, Victim Support began delivering the Witness Service in every criminal court in England and Wales. Citizens Advice had run it since 2015. E06
When we checked on 15 November 2026, the official GOV.UK guide for people going to court as a victim or witness had not caught up. It told readers: "If you live outside of London, contact the Citizens Advice Witness Service", and linked to a Citizens Advice referral page. It also said that on the day of the trial "you'll be offered support from the Citizens Advice Witness Service". E07
Why a stale link matters
This is the page most people will reach when they search for what to do after being asked to give evidence. A nervous witness who follows it is sent to an organisation that no longer runs the service.
It is a small error with a simple fix. It is also a fair picture of the wider problem. When support for witnesses is spread across the police, the prosecution service, the courts, a grant-funded charity and a central government website, keeping the public correctly informed is nobody's single job.
What should happen
The page should be corrected. More usefully, there should be one official front door for witnesses that is owned by someone and updated when providers change. That is the first of our five asks.
We have added the guide to the list of pages we check, and will report here when it changes.
If you need the Witness Service now, see get help.
Sources
- Going to court to give evidence as a victim or witness, GOV.UK, checked 15 November 2026
- Support for witnesses boosted as Victim Support to run Witness Service in every criminal court, Victim Support, 19 March 2026
Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed and approved by Richard Ryan before publication. General information, not legal advice. Report an error.