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No court in Shropshire is safe from the axe
Friday 30th July 2010, 8:00PM BST.
No court in Shropshire is “completely safe” from the threat of closure, justice bosses revealed today.
Fears had been raised that Shrewsbury Magistrates Court could join the list of magistrate and county courts to be axed across Shropshire.
But a Government spokesman said today that no court is immune from potential closure.
Mark Crab, head of media at Her Majesty’s Court Service, said: “We cannot shut any of our courts without proper consultation.
“Shrewsbury Magistrates Court is not on the list of courts which are being considered for closure, but we cannot say any court is completely safe. We keep all our estates under review.
“This is a massive move which includes 103 magistrates courts and 54 county courts. Shrewsbury County Court is included in the list.”
Across Shropshire the cuts would cost 16 jobs but save the Government more than £430,000.
The Government wants to close Ludlow, Oswestry, and Market Drayton magistrates courts and Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Ludlow county courts.
The courts are on a list of courts under scrutiny as the Government grapples with reducing Britain’s £155 billion deficit.
Daniel Kawczynski, Shrewsbury and Atcham MP, today said he would be fighting for all of Shrewsbury’s courts in Parliament. He has written to the Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke on several occasions opposing the plans.
He said: “I will be fighting to keep the facilities here in Shrewsbury.”
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Reality is that Shrewsbury County Court will close, but the court service have not looked at all the options available. If they move it to Telford then the whole access to justice thing goes right down the spout, with huge back logs in work and hearings as well as logistical nightmares getting to and from the court for users. The sensible option here is the move the county court into the same building as the magistrates court because there is plenty of room. But the court service say they would have to put a new computer system i place which would cost too much. How many loacal firms do we know that could do that??
A county town without a county court….. ridiculous notion.
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