MP calls for halt to court closures
The Shadow justice minister Richard Burgon has called for an urgent halt to the Government’s court closure programme, after The Yorkshire Post highlighted its impact on rural communities and local economies.
THE SHADOW Justice Minister Richard Burgon has called for an urgent halt to the Government’s court closure programme, after
The Yorkshire Post highlighted its impact on rural communities and local economies.
Around a third of Yorkshire’s courts have been lost since 2010, with the Government setting out ambitions to continue the efficiency drive in the years to come.
Mr Burgon, Labour MP for East Leeds, said: “These court closures are yet another consequence of the Government’s reckless decision to cut the justice department by more than any other, with its budget slashed by 40 per cent.
“These closures have a real impact on the ability of witnesses and victims to access our justice system and they risk hearings being further delayed and rescheduled.
“The Government’s courts policies are in chaos. Thousands of staff have been axed but the Government is now forced to spend tens of millions on contracting agency staff.
“And over 100 courts were sold off for not much more than the average house price.
“This is yet another example of Tory sell-offs being driven by ideology and not what works best for local people.
“Instead of ploughing on with yet more sell-offs, the Government should have a moratorium on courts closures until it has published its Courts Bill, due this year, so that its worrying plans for the future of our courts system can be properly debated.”
The Government has set out plans to invest £1bn in new technology to make it easier for people to take part in legal proceedings without physically visiting a court.
But critics have said that while many court closures have already gone ahead, much of the technology designed to maintain access to justice is not yet in place.
Two major rounds of closures have already taken place, with a third under way and more expected in future.
And with courts being increasingly consolidated into larger cities, rural communities have said they are being disproportionately affected, with people living in more remote areas facing lengthy journeys by public transport when their local courts close.
Justice Minister Lucy Frazer QC declined a request for interview, but the Ministry of Justice said the Government was investing more than £1bn to reform and modernise the courts system.
A spokeswoman said: “Since April 2016 we have raised £115m from the sale of underused court buildings – over £34m more than forecast, and every penny of this will be reinvested as part of our modernisation plans.
“As we increase the use of digital services, it makes sense to consider the wider role and need for court buildings and assess whether some are still necessary to provide effective access to justice.”
The Law Society, which represents solicitors, had highlighted an increasing number of criminal cases which were not able to go ahead because a defendant had not made the lengthy journey to court.
Head of justice Richard Miller said this meant the police then had to bring in the defendants, placing an additional strain on their resources.
John Bache, JP, chairman of the Magistrates’ Association, had said that while the Government was right to close any under-used courts to save public money from being wasted, he would have concerns if the closure programme went much further.
He said: “We don’t want to get to a situation where there are courts in Leeds, York and Sheffield and that’s it.”