Editorial: Consultation on Court Closures - Aidan Ellis, Temple Garden Chambers
28/08/15. The Ministry of Justice is currently consulting on proposals to close around 90 Courts, including 19 County Courts and other Combined Courts. Following the closure of around 140 Courts in 2010, there are currently 460 operational Courts and Tribunals. Thus roughly one in every five courts could be closed, with a loss of around 16% of all hearing rooms as the Ministry of Justice estimates.
Given the number of closures, there is bound to be an impact on the delivery of court services. In the North-West, the consultation envisages inter alia closing County Courts in Bolton, Bury, Macclesfield, Oldham, Runcorn, St Helens, Stockport, Tameside, Altrincham and Warrington. This is a striking number of closures for a relatively small area, which would surely place significant additional pressure on those Courts that remain. In London, County Courts at Bow, West London, Woolwich and Lambeth are identified for closure. The caseload of any of these Courts, particularly Bow, is too heavy to...
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