Shropshire court may video link witnesses

Witnesses in county court cases may soon be able to give their evidence via video link rather than travelling to Telford for hearings following the recent closure of Shrewsbury County Court, it has been revealed.

The court closed on September 30, with caseloads being transferred over to Telford County Court. Concerns about the effect of the closure on people living in rural areas of the county have been raised by Councillor Ted Clarke.

He was due to raise the subject at a full Shropshire Council meeting today.

Ann Hartley, deputy leader of Shropshire Council, said the authority was looking into ways of addressing the issue, including the introduction of video link technology.

She said that Shrewsbury Magistrates Court was currently hearing county court cases for three days a week, with this scheduled to be reduced to twice a week from April next year.

"Clearly, there will be additional journey time and cost implications for Shropshire residents who are using the court service – particularly for those users who reside in the north and south of the county," she said.

"However, consideration is being given to ways in which witnesses could give evidence by video links from local police stations, to avoid the need for travel to the court."

Other county courts which closed this year include Market Drayton, Ludlow and Oswestry and Councillor Hartley said it was having an economic impact.

"There has also been some impact on businesses in the market towns where courts have closed, but the scale of this is difficult to measure," he said.

"Shropshire has been successful in retaining some county court provision, and we will continue to lobby to ensure that this provision remains at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court."

The county court closures were ordered by the Ministry of Justice in an attempt to cut costs. But the closure of Shrewsbury County Court has come under fire from the Citizens Advice Bureau, Shropshire Law Society and councillors.

By Chris Burn