In London this includes proposals to close the county and magistrates' courts listed below.
I am especially saddened to see Mayor's and City go. It is the oldest local civil court in continuous existence in the UK and is over 700 years old. It is the County Court of the City of London but the only county court not to have the word county in its title. The Circuit Judges wear different robes to usual and it is housed in a fantastic old court house in the Guildhall. It has been the seat of some very colourful District Judges over the years. For more history see here and here.
I am also a bit sad about Tower Bridge Magistrates where I fondly recall a spat with a stipendiary during my first Magistrates outing...I also see that Hitchin County Court is going...how I fondly remember my exchanges with the robust former resident District Judge of that home counties court....
Quite how the remaining courts are going cope is beyond me and probably their long suffering staff and judges..........what price justice?
ILFORD COUNTY COURT
MAYOR'S AND CITY COURT
ACTON MAGISTRATES' COURT
Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow LJAs
HARINGEY MAGISTRATES' COURT (Highgate)
Camden, Islington, Enfield and Haringey LJAs
HARROW MAGISTRATES' COURT
Barnet, Brent and Harrow LJAs
SUTTON MAGISTRATES' COURT
Croydon, Lambeth & Southwark and Sutton LJAs
BARKING MAGISTRATES' COURT
Barking, Havering and Redbridge
BRENTFORD MAGISTRATES' COURT
Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow LJAs
KINGSTON MAGISTRATES' COURT
Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth LJAs
WOOLWICH MAGISTRATES' COURT
Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham LJAs
BALHAM YOUTH COURT
Replace the current 20 outer London youth panels and the Inner London and City Youth Panel with nine youth panels (one per new LJA)
WALTHAM FOREST MAGISTRATES' COURT
Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Stratford and Waltham Forest LJAs
TOWER BRIDGE MAGISTRATES' COURT
I am not especially knowledgeable of the London courts. Elsewhere, the majority of the proposed closures do appear to be courts which are increasingly under-utilised and operating from old buildings which are now expensive to operate. There is therefore a case for some action given that masses of money has to be saved.
ReplyDeleteMy main worry is that they will take this too far and too soon. Earlier this year, the previous government announced a considerable number of Magistrates' Court closures. The latest announcements appear to be in addition to those announced by Straw.
The concept of "local justice" will undoubtedly suffer since witnesses and others will have to travel much further to the remaining courts.
I note that the government has also mentioned some vague ideas about using the internet etc. so that people do not have to physically attend court! Not sure on this but we will have to wait and see what is proposed.
Once this set of cuts is completed there will, I feel sure, be a look at even further rationalisation.