Court closure ‘wrong decision at wrong time’, says commissioner
CAMPAIGNERS HAVE expressed dismay at the Government’s decision to push ahead with the controversial closure of a North Yorkshire court.
Northallerton Magistrates’ Court will be one of seven facilities closed across the country, Lord Chancellor David Gauke announced yesterday, despite concerns that it would leave people having to travel for hours on public transport to reach alternative courts in York, Harrogate, Skipton or Teesside.
The dedicated North Yorkshire traffic court, based in Northallerton, is expected to move in its entirety to West Yorkshire. Yorkshire has already lost a third of its courts since 2010, as Ministers grapple with reducing budgets.
North Yorkshire police and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan who had campaigned to save the Northallerton court, said its closure would “disproportionately affect the access of elderly, disabled and remote communities in this area to justice”.
She said: “I believe this is the wrong decision taken at the wrong time. We will be looking very carefully at the decision and the process that has led to it.
“Access to justice is hugely important for rural communities who too often feel their views are not heard, and the closure of Northallerton Magistrates’ Court will reinforce that perception, particularly the proposal to move our dedicated traffic court to West Yorkshire.”
Richmond MP Rishi Sunak, who had also objected to the plans, said the announcement was “disappointing news”, but welcomed assurances that the building would not close until a replacement video link in the town was up and running.
Only one court, in Cambridge, escaped the closure plans because of “new information” about the amount the site would sell for, Mr Gauke said.
He said: “All money raised from the sale of these buildings will be reinvested into the justice system, and we want to reassure communities that those affected by closures will have access to alternative courts.”