Opponents fight plans for court closures in region

Already several campaigns have been launched to save individual courts, pointing out the travel and cost difficulties of getting to the replacement venues suggested.

Courts under threat in Yorkshire are Goole, Selby, Skipton, Keighley, Pontefract and Batley and Dewsbury magistrates' courts and Goole, Skipton, Barnsley, Pontefract, Keighley and Dewsbury county courts, which are said to be underused or no longer fit for purpose.

Emma Pearmaine, head of the family law team at Leeds-based Simpson Millar, says court closures could have a devastating effect on vulnerable families and threaten the family justice system.

"Very often, families accessing the county courts aren't in a position to travel great distances throughout the lifetime of their case.

"Having to add significant travel time and cost to an already stressful situation for vulnerable children and struggling families because their regional court is closed could prove damaging to the very people the family justice system was designed to help."

She said in addition to the consultation programme by the Government on possible court closures they had also launched a "comprehensive review" of the family justice system as part of their extensive cost-cutting strategy.

Skipton MP Julian Smith is leading the campaign to stop the closure of the town's courts which would see the magistrates' cases going to Harrogate and the county court hearings to Bradford.

"I will be meeting with all those interested in saving the courts in the coming weeks and look forward to putting together a strong argument."

Opponents point out that some of those attending courts in Skipton already travel miles from rural areas which could mean some facing a 100-mile round trip if they had to go to Harrogate.

Former Keighley MP Ann Cryer said the closure of the court sitting at Bingley was a "totally retrograde step."

Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole, has raised the issue of transport costs for people travelling to a magistrates' court in Beverley, 28 miles from Goole, while opponents to the closure of Dewsbury and Batley make a similar argument about travelling to Huddersfield.