Closures of courts and tribunals in England and Wales announced
- Published
Birmingham Youth Court is among those that will close
Nearly a fifth of all courts and tribunals in England and Wales are to close, the government has announced.
Eighty-six of 460 courts and tribunal hearing centres will shut as part of "modernisation" plans, HM Courts and Tribunal Service confirmed.
The reforms aim to reduce the £500m annual cost of the courts estate.
Ministers said 48% of court buildings were empty at least half of the time last year, but the Law Society warns closures could limit access to justice.
Crown courts, county courts, family courts, youth courts, civil courts and tribunal hearing centres are among the centres that will close.
The government has published a schedule for the closures, external, with six phases planned between now and September 2017.
'Expensive journeys'
In total, 86 of the 91 courts and tribunal hearing centres that had been under consultation for closure will shut, Justice Minister Shailesh Vara confirmed.
On average, the 86 courts due to be closed were only being used for just over a third of their available hearing time - equivalent to fewer than two days a week, he said.
More than 97% of citizens would still be able to reach their required court "by car within an hour" after the closures, he added.
Various groups have opposed the plans.
The Law Society, which represents solicitors, argues that many people using public transport would face long and expensive journeys.
It gave an example of a return journey from one Aylesbury court which had been due to close to the proposed alternative Milton Keynes, which it said would cost £71 and was a five-hour round trip.
Malcolm Richardson, national chairman of the Magistrates' Association, a charity which represents magistrates in England and Wales, said many of its members would be "very worried" about the impact of the closures.
"There will be inevitable additional pressure on the system and the paramount concern of magistrates is for accessible justice to be protected," he said.
'Affect victims'
The family law organisation Resolution, which represents 6,500 family lawyers and other professionals in England and Wales, called the government's plans a "simplistic, ill-thought through exercise".
"Those affected the most by these closures will be vulnerable people such as victims of domestic abuse, young people and those who rely on public transport to get around," it said.
In a written statement,, external Justice Minister Mr Vara said the closures were necessary because many court buildings were "expensive to maintain yet unsuitable for modern technology".
"Court closures are difficult decisions; local communities have strong allegiances to their local courts and I understand their concerns," he said.
"But changes to the estate are vital if we are to modernise a system which everybody accepts is unwieldy, inefficient, slow, expensive to maintain and unduly bureaucratic."
The following courts will close:
London
Feltham Magistrates' Court
Greenwich Magistrates' Court
Hammersmith County Court (formerly West London County Court)
Pocock Street Tribunal Hearing Centre
Richmond-upon-Thames Magistrates' Court
Tottenham Magistrates' Court
Waltham Forest Magistrates' Court
Woolwich County Court
Midlands
Birmingham Youth Court
Burton-upon-Trent Magistrates' Court
Corby Magistrates' Court
Kettering County Court
Kettering Magistrates' Court
Sandwell Magistrates' Court
Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court
Skegness Magistrates' Court
Solihull Magistrates' Court
Stafford Magistrates' Court
Worksop Magistrates' Court
North East
Halifax County Court and Family Court
Halifax (Calderdale) Magistrates' and Family Court
Hartlepool Magistrates' Court and County Court
Morpeth County Court
Rotherham Magistrates' Court, County Court and Family Court
Scunthorpe Magistrates' Court, County Court and Family Court
Wakefield Magistrates' Court
North West
Accrington County Court
Accrington Magistrates' Court
Bolton County Court and Family Court
Bury Magistrates' Court and County Court
Oldham County Court
Oldham Magistrates' Court
Runcorn (Halton) Magistrates' Court
St Helens Magistrates' Court
Tameside County Court
Trafford Magistrates' Court and Altrincham County Court
South East
Basildon Social Security and Child Support Tribunal (Acorn House)
Bedford and Mid Beds Magistrates' Court and Family Court and Bedford County Court and Family Court
Bicester Magistrates' Court and Family Court
Chichester Magistrates' Court
Colchester County Court and Family Court
Colchester County Court Offices
Dartford Magistrates' Court
Dover Magistrates' Court
Harlow Magistrates' Court
Lowestoft Magistrates' Court, County Court and Family Court
Redhill Magistrates' Court and Family Court and Reigate County Court and Family Court
St Albans County Court
Watford Magistrates' Court and Family Court
West Berkshire (Newbury) Magistrates' Court
South West
Barnstaple Crown Court
Bournemouth Magistrates' Court
Cheltenham Rivershill House Tribunal
Chippenham Magistrates' Court, Civil Court and Family Court
Dorchester Crown Court
Fareham Magistrates' Court
Gloucester Magistrates' Court
North Avon (Yate) Magistrates' Court
Stroud Magistrates' Court
Torquay Magistrates' Court
Wales
Brecon Law Courts
Bridgend Law Courts
Neath and Port Talbot Civil and Family Court
Pontypridd Magistrates' Court
Wrexham Tribunal (Rhyd Broughton)
The following courts will close with changes to the original government proposals - work will either move to another HM Courts & Tribunals Service site, or an alternative local location. Full details can be found on a court-by-court basis in the government's regional responses, external.
London
Bow County Court
Lambeth County Court
Midlands
Buxton Magistrates' Court and County Court
Grantham Magistrates' Court
Hinckley Magistrates' Court
North East
Consett Magistrates' Court
North West
Kendal Magistrates' Court and County Court
Macclesfield County Court
Macclesfield Magistrates' Court
Ormskirk Magistrates' Court and Family Court
Warrington County Court
South East
Aylesbury Magistrates' Court, County Court and Family Court
Bury St. Edmunds Magistrates' Court and Family Court and Bury St. Edmunds Crown Court
Chichester Combined Court (Crown and County)
Eastbourne Magistrates' Court, County Court and Family Court
Kings Lynn County Court and Family Court
Tunbridge Wells County Court and Family Court
Wales
Carmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall)
Dolgellau Crown and Magistrates' Court
Holyhead Magistrates' Court
Llangefni Civil and Family Court
Prestatyn Magistrates' Court
The following courts, which had been under consideration for closure as part of the government's consultation, will remain open:
North West
St Helens County Court (St Helens Magistrates' Court to close)
Stockport Magistrates' Court and County Court
West Cumbria Magistrates' Court and County Court
South West
Bath Magistrates' Court, County Court and Family Court
Wales
Carmarthen Civil, Family, Tribunal and Probate Hearing Centre
- Published8 October 2015
- Published16 July 2015
