Solicitors’ despair at County Court closure announcement

Lesley Rhodes, Molesworth Bright Clegg Solicitors

Solicitors in Rochdale have expressed major concerns after hearing that Oldham County Court is to close down – forcing them and their clients to make an even further trip into Manchester city centre.

The closure, expected to take effect later this year, will cost much more in travel expenses for clients and will cause time management issues for legal staff, as well as various other inconveniences.

Rochdale lost its own county court back in the 1990s, forcing Rochdale solicitors and their clients to travel to Oldham.

This latest move will have a drastic impact on everyone involved, say local solicitors, and is a bad sign for the local judicial system.

Lesley Rhodes, from Molesworth Bright Clegg Solicitors, in Rochdale, said: “I’d known for some time that the closure was on the cards, and then we heard that the decision was set in stone and to be honest it’s bad news for all of us, perhaps even more so for the clients.

“Rochdale lost its county court back in the 1990s forcing everyone to travel to Oldham, now that Oldham in closing that journey has to be made into the centre of Manchester.”

She added: “It’s not just about the journey, clients can be nervous going into courts in many cases, and while Oldham is quite small and friendly, Manchester is huge and daunting for them. That, combined with the travelling and extra expenses, makes the whole thing a bit of a nightmare.”

Fellow Rochdale-based solicitor Richard Mason, added that there will be a practical impact, as well as limited access to justice. He said: “The proposals seek to deflect the practical impact on court users by indicating that, should they be brought into force, 95% of citizens will be able to reach their required court within an hour by car.

“In my view, this marginalises the increase in the time it will take for users to attend Court. It overlooks the consequential additional costs to users, including the cost of their own travel and that of their legal representatives, witnesses, and experts.”

He added: “It pre-supposes that the users will have access to a private vehicle. Where they do not, users will have to rely on public transport. Many cases are already delayed or adjourned due to the late or non-attendance of users at court, and this is likely to increase.”