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Reform of the court estate will help deliver a modern, efficient justice system with victims and witnesses at its centre, Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly said yesterday.

Following full public consultations on proposals to close 103 magistrates' courts and 54 county courts in England and Wales, the Government has decided that 93 magistrates' courts and 49 county courts will be closed.

See a map showing the regions in which the consultations took place.

Mr Djanogly today also announced that £22m of capital will be reinvested to improve and modernise the courts to which work will transfer as a result of the closures. Within this are three large projects in London, at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court, in Staffordshire at Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates' Court, and in Wales at Prestatyn Magistrates' Court.

This is part of the Government's drive to have a better justice system - one that is more efficient, more intelligent, responds better to the needs of local communities and crucially is on the side of – not against – victims and witnesses.

Her Majesty's Courts Service currently operates out of 530 courts, many of which do not meet the needs of modern communities. Their number and location does not reflect recent changes in population, workload or transport and communication links over the many years since they were originally opened.

Mr Djanogly said:

'Access to justice is not just about access to buildings. It's about the type of justice delivered, decent facilities for victims and witnesses and efficient use of the system.

'Our court estate has simply not kept pace with the changing nature of our society or with the demands modern society places on our justice system. An estate of over 500 court buildings is not now necessary or sustainable, nor is it a reasonable expense for the taxpayer.

'We are closing the worst courts in the estate - so we can concentrate our limited resources on the best ones. We are investing in the court estate with new buildings and with refurbishment of facilities.

'We have listened to the significant points made by respondents to the consultation. As a result we have decided not to close 15 courts which were included in the consultation.

'There will be longer journeys for some to their closest court but we should not operate courts just to shave minutes off a journey that many will never need to make.'

An estimated £41.5m of savings for the taxpayer will be realised across the spending period as a result of the closures, alongside a possible £38.5m from the sale of assets. Substantial savings will be made from not having to maintain so many buildings and there will be efficiency savings for other justice agencies by focusing their attendance at a single accessible location within a community.

Plans to build a new magistrates' court in Liverpool have been cancelled as the project has become unaffordable in the current financial climate. We will be exploring other options to address the magistrates provision in Liverpool across the Spending Review period.

Jonathan Djanogly continued:

'Reform of the courts and court estate, allied with the reforms of sentencing and rehabilitation, and changes to the system of legal aid that the Government has announced will make a more intelligent, more proportionate and much more cost-effective justice system.

'We have already set out how we intend to make better use of technology. We plan to give witnesses the opportunity to give evidence in trials by live video link from a more convenient location. We will begin this in January with a pilot to test the principle of police officers giving evidence in summary trials by live video link from a police station. This will save the police time and money and free up officers to spend more time on patrol.

'We also want to give communities a greater say in how justice is administered in their areas. We will consult on the use of Neighbourhood Justice Panels to deal with low-level cases, empowering people to develop their own solutions to local problems, and increasing community confidence.'

Tim Godwin, Deputy Commissioner Metropolitan Police Service, said:

'All public services are reviewing their operations to reduce costs and maximise resources. The HMCS are no different and I support them in their efforts, reducing the court estate is inevitable. I particularly welcome the initiative of police officers giving evidence by video link to reduce police travel and wasted time at court. It is clear evidence of the criminal justice agencies working together to maximise our effort.'

Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions said:

'The CPS supports the rationalisation of the courts estate as a part of a wider strategy to promote greater efficiency across the whole Criminal Justice System. We believe a smaller number of magistrates court centres will bring greater efficiencies and make savings. It also is vital that the best possible facilities are available for all court users and especially for victims and witnesses. Limited resources mean that difficult decisions have to be made. We feel the right proposals have been made ensuring facilities of the highest quality are available in a reduced number of fully utilised court centres. The plan offers the opportunity to deliver public services of the highest quality and, at the same time, promotes value for money'.

In the case of each court closure a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of court business.

Notes to Editors

1. Public consultations on each of the proposed court closures were launched on 23 June 2010. Many of the courts hear few cases because there is insufficient workload for the number of courts in the area. Some courts lack appropriate facilities for victims and witnesses such as separate waiting areas, do not have secure facilities for prisoners, or are not accessible to disabled court users, limiting the type of case that can be heard.

2. Following consideration of the 2552 responses to the consultation decisions have been made to close 93 magistrates' courts and 49 county courts. Ten magistrates' courts and five county courts are to be retained. The courts to be closed and retained are as follows:

North West
Magistrates' courts:
Northwich Magistrates' Court, Southport Magistrates' Court, Knowsley Magistrates' Court, Whitehaven Magistrates' Court, Penrith Magistrates' Court, Rawtenstall Magistrates' Court, Salford Magistrates' Court, Rochdale Magistrates' Court.
County courts:
Northwich County Court, Southport County Court, Penrith County Court, Runcorn County Court, Whitehaven County Court, Rawtenstall County Court, Chorley County Court, Salford County Court.
Retained: Bury County Court

North East
Magistrates' courts:
Guisborough Magistrates' Court, Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court
Tynedale Magistrates' Court, Alnwick Magistrates' Court, Blaydon Magistrates' Court, Gosforth Magistrates' Court, Houghton Le Spring Magistrates' Court, Goole Magistrates' Court, Selby Magistrates' Court, Batley And Dewsbury Magistrates' Court, Keighley Magistrates' Court Sitting At The Bingley Court House,
Pontefract Magistrates' Court.
County courts:
Bishop Auckland County Court, Consett County Court, Goole County Court, Pontefract County Court, Keighley County Court, Dewsbury County Court.
Retained: Barnsley County Court, Skipton Magistrates' Court, Skipton County Court.

Wales:
Magistrates' courts:
Barry Magistrates' Court, Aberdare Magistrates' Court, Llwynypia Magistrates' Court, Ammanford Magistrates' Court, Cardigan Magistrates' Court, Llandovery Magistrates' Court, Denbigh Magistrates' Court, Pwllheli Magistrates' Court, Flint Magistrates' Court, Chepstow Magistrates' Court, Abertillery Magistrates' Court, Llangefni Magistrates' Court.
County courts:
Chepstow County Court, Aberdare County Court, Rhyl County Court, Pontypool County Court.
Retained: Abergavenny Magistrates' Court, Llangefni County Court.

Midlands
Magistrates' courts:
Halesowen Magistrates' Court, Sutton Coldfield Magistrates' Court, West Bromwich Magistrates' Court, Rugby Magistrates' Court, Stoke Magistrates' Court, Tamworth Magistrates' Court, Ludlow Magistrates' Court, Market Drayton Magistrates' Court, Oswestry Magistrates' Court, Ilkeston Magistrates' Court, Newark Magistrates' Court, Retford Magistrates' Court, Coalville Magistrates' Court, Market Harborough Magistrates' Court, Melton Mowbray Magistrates' Court, Towcester Magistrates' Court, Daventry Magistrates' Court, Rutland Magistrates' Court.
County courts:
Rugby County Court, Stourbridge County Court, Stratford-Upon-Avon County Court, Newark County Court, Worksop County Court, Melton Mowbray County Court, Wellingborough County Court, Grantham County Court, Skegness County Court, Tamworth County Court, Oswestry County Court, Ludlow County Court, Shrewsbury County Court, Evesham County Court, Redditch County Court, Burton-Upon-Trent County Court, Kidderminster County Court.
Retained: Kettering Magistrates' Court, Spalding Magistrates' Court, Worksop Magistrates' Court.

South West
Magistrates' courts:
Frome Magistrates' Court, Bridgwater Magistrates' Court, Liskeard Magistrates' Court, Camborne Magistrates' Court, Totnes Magistrates' Court, Honiton Magistrates' Court, Penzance Magistrates' Court, Blandford Forum Magistrates' Court, Wimborne Magistrates' Court, Coleford Magistrates' Court, Cirencester Magistrates' Court, Andover Magistrates' Court, Alton Magistrates' Court, Lyndhurst Magistrates' Court.
County courts:
Cheltenham County Court, Penzance County Court, Trowbridge County Court, Poole County Court.
Retained: Newton Abbot Magistrates' Court, Stroud Magistrates' Court.

South East
Magistrates' courts:
Grays Magistrates' Court, Epping Magistrates' Court, Ely Magistrates' Court, Wisbech Magistrates' Court,
Thetford Magistrates' Court, Cromer Magistrates' Court, Swaffham Magistrates' Court, Sudbury Magistrates' Court, Ashford Magistrates' Court, Sittingbourne Magistrates' Court, Epsom Magistrates' Court,
Woking Magistrates' Court, Mid-Sussex Magistrates' Court, Lewes Magistrates' Court, Bicester Magistrates' Court, Hemel Hempstead Magistrates' Court, Witney Magistrates' Court, Amersham Magistrates' Court, Didcot Magistrates' Court.
County courts:
Ashford County Court, Gravesend County Court, Haywards Heath County Court, Epsom County Court, Huntingdon County Court, Harlow County Court, Lowestoft County Court, Newbury County Court, Hitchin County Court.
Retained: Harlow Magistrates' Court, Newbury Magistrates' Court.

London
Magistrates' courts;
Acton Magistrates' Court, Haringey Magistrates' Court (Highgate), Harrow Magistrates' Court, Sutton Magistrates' Court, Barking Magistrates' Court, Brentford Magistrates' Court, Kingston Magistrates' Court, Woolwich Magistrates' Court, Balham Youth Court, Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court.
County courts:
Ilford County Court
Retained: Waltham Forest Magistrates' Court, Mayor's And City of London County Court.

3. In 2009/10, 32 of the magistrates' courts consulted on sat for less than 1/3 of their total available time and 55 sat for less than half of the time.

4. Closure of these courts will mean an increase in the average utilisation rate:

• In the magistrates' courts from 64% (in 2009/10) to around 75%.
• In the county court from 180 sitting days per courtroom (in 2009/10) to around 200.

5. The response documents and associated Impact and Equality Impact assessments set out the criteria against which each court was assessed – and how decisions were reached:

6. The Ministry of Justice Press Office can be contacted on 020 3334 3536.

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