Councillors set to agree changes to Coroner Service

05 Dec 2023 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news

Changes are set to be agreed which will see Northumberland have one Senior Coroner to cover the county. 

The service has undergone a transformation programme since 2019, which has seen the county transition from operating the Coroner Service with two Senior Coroners, to operating with one. 

By formally merging the North and South Northumberland coroner areas, this will be the ultimate step in this programme of change which has delivered best practice, effective use of resources and improved services to bereaved families. 

The Council’s Cabinet are being recommended to approve the merger and the name of the new service will be the ‘Northumberland Coroner Area’. 

The proposed merger follows national policy established by the Ministry of Justice and supported by the Chief Coroner to merge smaller coronial areas and to replace acting Coroners with full time equivalents with a much larger case load relevant to the area and to deliver efficient, consistent, and proportionate working practice across the service. 

If as expected, the Ministry of Justice agrees to the merger of the North and South Northumberland Coronial areas, then, subject to the making of the Order by the Lord Chancellor, Mr Andrew Hetherington will become the Senior Coroner for the newly merged Coronial area of Northumberland.