Cuts mean closure for nine courts

A vocal campaign convinced Ministers to ditch plans to close Skipton's magistrates and county courts, while the county court in Barnsley will also remain open after the Government re-think.

But Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly said he was going ahead with the closure of 93 magistrates courts – including Goole, Selby, Keighley, Pontefract and Batley and Dewsbury in this region – and 49 county courts, including those in Goole, Pontefract, Keighley and Dewsbury.

Amid cross-party anger over some of the closures Nigel Adams, Tory MP for Selby and Ainsty, warned taxpayers will be out of pocket after the "thick end of 1m" was spent just two years ago refurbishing Selby Magistrates' Court only for it to face closure now.

Labour attacked the closure programme, branding it a "wholesale destruction" of the foundations of British justice, but Mr Djanogly said many buildings were "not fit for the requirements of the modern courts system" and were not used often enough.

The closures are expected to save 13m, and the Government wants a major extension of the use of video technology to cut costs further, with trials where police officers will give evidence in simple cases from police stations to save time and money rather than having to appear in court.

Mr Djanogly said: "Our court estate has simply not kept pace with the changing nature of our society or with the demands modern society places on our justice system.

"We are closing the worst courts in the estate – so we can concentrate our limited resources on the best ones.

"We are investing in the court estate with new buildings and with refurbishment of facilities."

The decision to save Skipton's courts comes after a vociferous campaign which warned that closure would have a "devastating impact" on local justice and leave people facing arduous journeys to reach alternative centres because of a lack of public transport.

Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith said: "Throughout the campaign we always said that there were clear reasons why the cases heard at Skipton Magistrates' Court and Skipton County Court should continue to be heard at Skipton rather than in Harrogate or Bradford and I am pleased that the Government has listened to those views.

"I said at the start of the campaign that it was going to be a difficult fight and so it proved.

"But it is a fight that the community has won."

Mr Djanogly said the plans would only "very slightly" reduce the percentage of the population able to access their nearest court in up to an hour, with the figure falling from just under 90 per cent to 85 per cent.

About 22m will be used to upgrading existing court buildings, including improvements to interview rooms and a secure dock in Huddersfield.

Mr Djanogly said he was closing Selby Magistrates Court because there were others nearby including York.

However, Mr Adams warned: "I fully understand the financial mess that the Government inherited but if Selby Magistrates' Court is to now be closed and sold off the taxpayer will be facing a huge loss."

Shadow Justice Minister Andy Slaughter condemned the decision to close so many courtrooms.

"This wholesale closure sums up this Government's approach to cutting local services in this and every other area – let's get on with the cuts and worry about the effects later."