Ministry of Justice Confirms Court Closures

Following a public consultation at the start of the year, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed that seven more courts will close in the next few months.

The courts destined for closure are:

• Banbury Magistrates' and County Court (see consultation response);
• Blackfriars Crown Court (see consultation response);
• Chorley Magistrates' Court (see consultation response);
• Fleetwood Magistrates' Court (see consultation response);
• Maidenhead Magistrates' Court (see consultation response);
• Northallerton Magistrates' Court (see consultation response);
• Wandsworth County Court (see consultation response).

The decision has been made to retain Cambridge Magistrates' Court, as its closure would not provide sufficient value for money.

The closure of Northallerton Magistrates' Court, which serves an exceptionally rural community with poor transport links, will not be implemented until alternative video facilities are made available within the town.

It is noteworthy that virtually all of the Northallerton consultation respondents (162 out of 168) were opposed to the closure, with many of them citing concerns about access to justice and the inadequacy of York Magistrates' Court as an alternative venue. Northallerton, which has comparatively modest operating costs of £140k per annum, underwent significant modernisation only a decade ago and is the only North Yorkshire court to be fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Lord Chancellor, David Gauke, 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.

"We must ensure we use public money effectively and make decisions in the best interest of the wider justice system."

The final part of that statement remains to be seen.