The Closure of Northallerton Magistrates' Court: A Grim Milestone for Local Justice

On 31st May 2019 Northallerton Magistrates' Court closed its doors for the final time.

The court, which had been surviving on a reduced diet of traffic and private prosecution work, is the 167th to have closed in the past decade. There are now fewer than half the number of Magistrates' Courts there were in 2010.

Northallerton was a lovely little court with an efficient and friendly team of staff. It served the wide rural communities of Hambleton and Ryedale. It had comparatively modest running costs and had recently undergone costly modernisation work. Northallerton was the only court in North Yorkshire, not that there are many, to be fully accessible to disabled users.

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.

HMCTS's own impact assessment acknowledged that court users of public transport would take almost twice as long to reach York. Some of Northallerton's work will be transferred to Harrogate, which is an even greater distance to travel.

Despite being earmarked for closure last summer, the court was granted a temporary stay of execution until alternative video-link facilities were provided in the town.

John Bache JP, chairman of the Magistrates Association, said of the closure: "The Magistrates Association was concerned about the decision to close Northallerton Magistrates' Court, given the strong opposition to its closure locally and the recognition from HM Courts and Tribunals Service that its closure will lead to some court users experiencing long journey times, particularly by public transport. Now that it has closed, HM Courts and Tribunals Service should closely monitor the impact on attendance at court and ensure that all victims, witnesses and defendants are supported to attend court in person."

He added: "Resources must be used effectively and if courthouses are underused or outdated then we should always consider whether they are still required. However justice should, wherever possible, be administered locally and, with half of all Magistrates' Courts closed many are already worryingly remote from the communities they serve. Video technology has a role to play but it is important courts remain genuinely accessible to victims, witnesses and defendants, enabling them to attend in person."

An HMCTS spokesman said: "The closure of any court is not taken lightly and, where a service is moved outside the local area, this will only happen following a full public consultation. Providing a video-link facility in the centre of Northallerton will ensure access to justice is maintained once the court has closed."

North Yorkshire County Council, which is based just across the road from the court house, has acquired the building for £450,000.