Lawyers rail against plans to close weekend courtrooms

By Ben Schofield on Jun 16, 09 06:58 AM

CRIMINAL lawyers are railing against plans to close Merseyside's "occasional" Magistrates' Courts sittings.

Merseyside's Justice Issues Working Group, chaired by Norman Draper, wants to close five of the city region's courts on Saturdays and Bank Holidays.

The move would save just over £20,000 a year.

But it would see cases transferred from Huyton, St Helens, Wirral, Southport and Bootle, to the central Magistrates' Court on Liverpool's Dale Street.

The working group launched a consultation on the issue and are due to discuss it again at a meeting tomorrow.

But Liverpool Law Society's Criminal Practice Committee objected to the plans on a number of fronts.

It says the move would restrict access to local justice for defendants and their families.

It also fears problems would be caused by the lengthy paper trail needed to transfer cases from court to court. Violent prisoners could be let off because of lost paperwork or defendants could remain in custody for longer because documents are slow to reach the right court.

Solicitors also claim criminals who leave court in Liverpool not having enough cash to get back to homes elsewhere in Merseyside might be tempted to commit crimes to raise funds.

The knock-on effects of pulling agencies such as the police, probation service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the clerks and magistrates into Liverpool may cost more than the £20,000 central saving, the society adds.

John Ballam, chair of the Criminal Practice Committee, told LDP Legal: "Wirral and Liverpool courts are both already busy. With Bootle and the others, taken together it would result in an all- day sitting on Saturday.

"And there's going to be difficulties for everyone getting to Liverpool."

"The saving of £20,000 will be a court saving but it will push the costs up for all the agencies and for the families of defendants." Criminal lawyers are already feeling the pinch because of cuts to legal aid.

The law society say the changes would throw an unnecessary extra burden on a hard pushed part of the sector.

A spokesman for Her Majesty's Courts Service said: "The majority of Saturday and Bank Holiday magistrates cases are already heard at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and we need to ensure that we get value for tax payers' money.

"No decisions have yet been made to move Saturday or Bank Holiday cases to Liverpool Magistrates' Court. We are at the initial stage of consultation and are looking at all the representations that have been made to us."