Court closure consultation ends – Rotherham faces axe

Rotherham Magistrates, Family and County Courts are very likely to be closed as part of a bid to save costs in the Courts’ Service.

A government consultation on court closures which began on 16^th July came to an end on 8^th October 2015. Other courts in the area facing the axe are: Buxton, Worksop, Halifax, Scunthorpe and Wakefield. There are 91 courts on the closure list in England and Wales and a further 31 will be merged or integrated with other courts in the same locality.

The closures are part of the government’s aim of reducing the £500 million annual running costs of the courts in England and Wales. The consultation papers states that many courts are underused and poorly maintained. It can be read in full here.

What is of relevance to court users, which includes many of the most vulnerable in society, is whether access to justice can be maintained.  The consultation paper quotes that “95% of citizens will still be able to reach their required court within an hour by car”.

The issue has been addressed by local press up and down the country. The general view is that the proposed closures do not take into account local conditions, including the length of time it actually takes to travel to alternative courts and the availability of public transport. The Star newspaper has run several articles on the impact of the proposed closure in Rotherham and local MP’s have objected to the closures.

The Law Society has responded to the consultation by producing an online map showing how long it would take for people in the areas affected to get to the alternative court by public transport.

The government’s own figures for Rotherham show that only 64 per cent of magistrates and family court users, and 65 per cent of county court users, could reach their new court (Sheffield) within one hour by public transport.

For people who have use of a car and are able to afford the additional fuel costs, the court closures will be an inconvenience. However, many court users do not have their own transport and are on low incomes. Litigation is by definition stressful for all involved. For a family client or a victim of crime in Rotherham, the news that their case will be dealt with in Sheffield could result in them deciding to give up altogether or being forced to spend money they can ill afford on travel costs. A lack of local justice, for some at least, will be a total denial of justice.