Shrewsbury County court due to close its doors

Shrewsbury County Court is to close its doors for the last time at the end of next month, the Ministry of Justice today confirmed.

The facility is being axed as part of the Government's spending cuts, with cases being transferred to Telford County Court from September 30.

The nationwide shake-up of the court system has already seen the closure of magistrates' courts in Oswestry, Ludlow and Market Drayton, with county courts in Ludlow and Oswestry also due to shut in September.

Zoe Campbell, spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, said: "There will be a gradual winding down and cases transferring to Telford."

But the decision has been criticised by Shropshire councillor Heather Kidd, who has been involved in a campaign to try and save it.

"My immediate reaction is that it is very short-sighted," she said. "They have failed to understand the difficulties of getting people to court in Telford because of the rural nature of the county.

"On public transport, for some people it will be impossible to get to Telford without several changes."

She added the campaign to save Shrewsbury County Court had considerable public support, as well as the backing of the Citizens' Advice Bureau in the county.

"The CAB across Shropshire were increasingly concerned about what it would do for their clients who need legal aid or don't know where to turn," she said.

Councillor Kidd said the decision to close the court and relocate its cases to Telford was "illogical".

Jeremy Taylor, a member of the Shropshire Law Society, said the decision to close the court was a "kick in the teeth for Shrewsbury".

He said: "Basically it means people in family cases, such as domestic violence and matrimonial disputes, are going to have to go all the way to Telford.

"It adds to their costs, as well as the extra time taken to get all the way there."

He added problems were likely to be compounded by Government reductions to legal aid budgets.

By Chris Burn