Dozens of courts facing closure in justice system reforms

By The Press Association16th July 2015News EnglandClosure, Courts / Justice, Government / Politics, News England

Dozens of courts could be closed under an overhaul of the justice estate.

The Government has announced a consultation on proposals to shut 91 courts and tribunals in England and Wales, while a further 31 are to be “integrated”.

Courts Minister Shailesh Vara said: “We are reforming the courts and tribunal service so that it meets the needs of modern day users.

“As we bring in digital technology for better and more efficient access to justice, fewer people will need to physically be in a court.

“This means that we will need fewer buildings, and with many already underused and in poor quality, now is a good time to review the estate.”

The proposals aim to streamline Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) as Justice Secretary Michael Gove embarks on a drive to modernise the system.

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) operates 460 courts and tribunal hearing centres across England and Wales.

The estate costs taxpayers around half a billion pounds a year to run.

Mr Vara said: “At present, it is underused. Last year over a third of all courts and tribunals were empty for more than 50% of their available hearing time.”

He added that the buildings being consulted on represent 16% of hearing rooms across the country and the majority are not used for at least two thirds of their available time.

Mr Vara said there is a “broad consensus” that the current system is “unsustainable”.

He added: “We can only provide better access to justice if we take difficult decisions to reduce the cost of our estate and reinvest the savings.”

The consultation covers the proposed closure of 57 magistrates’ courts, 19 county courts, two crown courts, four tribunal centres and nine combined courts.

If the proposals are given the green light, the buildings in question would be sold off.

The consultation document issued by the Ministry of Justice said: “Disposal of surplus estate would provide potential opportunities for development of residential and commercial space benefiting local communities.”