Kirklees leader slams court closure programme

The Leader of Kirkless Council has hit out at the government’s proposed programme of court closures, arguing that the outcome could be “more expensive and less effective justice”.

Under the Ministry of Justice’s proposals, which were unveiled in June and are under consultation until 15 September, some 103 magistrates’ courts and 54 county courts across the country would shut. The cuts represent almost a third of the Courts Service's estate.

In Kirklees, the programme would see the closure of Dewsbury Magistrates’ Court and the transfer of cases to Huddersfield.

Cllr Mehboob Khan, Kirklees’ Leader, warned that “what sounds simple on paper may lead to greater inefficiencies in practice with the result being more expensive and less effective justice”.

He added: “Delivery of justice and public confidence in the legal and courts process should be at the heart of this argument rather than the merits of whether the buildings themselves are usable or require investment.”

Cllr Khan said the closure of Dewsbury would result in defendants from north Kirklees having to travel seven to ten miles to the court. This could mean they fail to appear or arrive late, which would have a negative impact on the running of the courts and the amount of time available for defence or prosecution arguments to be made.

Other potential problems, he said, included extra pressure on Huddersfield and the additional cost for transporting prisoners from Dewsbury Police station.

Cllr Khan warned that there would be a knock-on effect for Dewsbury’s economy “as court staff will spend their money elsewhere”.

Kirklees’ Leader added that there was a potentially even worse scenario. “If local cases are moved even further afield, such as Wakefield, Bradford or even Leeds, the effects will be even greater,” he suggested.

Cllr Khan said: “Everyone in the public sector is well aware of the need to cut costs but this should not be at the expense of justice and to the detriment of local towns.”

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