When your court hearing’s cancelled…

The events of the last few days have brought much sadness to the nation. The Queen’s passing should be – and indeed is – being marked with respect and heartfelt tributes.

There was much discussion over the weekend about whether sporting fixtures should have gone ahead or been postponed. Both sides of the debate have made good arguments but, ultimately, given the continuing disruption, the ability of police and stewards to keep attendees safe was the deciding factor. It makes sense to us that football matches were postponed, despite the inevitable knock-on congestion in the fixture list.
Away from sport, of course, others are finding that long-planned events must be put on hold, even though there’s no chance of crowds. The announcement of a bank holiday on the day of the Queen’s funeral will allow millions to pay their respects, but those landlords who – having waited weeks or months – had a court hearing scheduled for Monday now discover the courts are closed. Their issues remain unsolved, and they re-join the queue for a hearing date.

These are unprecedented and difficult times. Let’s hope that whatever our frustrations, we can navigate them with a modicum of the late Queen’s respect, patience, humour and dignity.