Rotherham MPs criticise decision to close town's court
Rotherham's MPs have hit out at the Government after it confirmed today that the town’s court will close.
It follows a consultation launched last July on the provision of court and tribunal facilities in England and Wales.
In September 2015 Rotherham’s three MPs, John Healey, Kevin Barron and Sarah Champion, wrote to the Justice Secretary objecting to plans to close the magistrates’, county and family court in Rotherham and transfer cases to Sheffield.
They said it would 'undermine the principle of local justice', and see the travel times of victims and witnesses rise to 'unacceptable levels'.
“We managed to fight off similar plans four years ago, so it was frustrating and disappointing to see the proposals come back last year," they said in a statement.
“The government have been determined to press ahead with their plans, ignoring strong concerns raised by us and local magistrates.
“Closing the Rotherham court is deeply wrong and a huge blow to the delivery of justice locally.
“The court is one of the most visible symbols of justice in our town and removing it could further undermine confidence in the justice system, which has already been badly shaken in recent years.”
Rotherham’s court is expected to close between October and December this year.
In a statement, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Shailesh Vara, said: "Having considered carefully all responses to the consultation, we have decided to close 86 of the 91 courts and tribunals.
"On average, the 86 courts we are closing are used for just over a third of their available hearing time. That is equivalent to less than 2 days a week.
"It will still be the case that after these closures, over 97% of citizens will be able to reach their required court within an hour by car. This represents a change of just 1 percentage points for both criminal and County Courts.
"For each proposal in the consultation, we have considered access to justice; value for money; and efficiency."