Council’s bid to prevent court closure

Rochdale Magistrates Court

Rochdale Borough Council has drafted a letter and a report to be sent to the government in response to the proposed closure of Rochdale Magistrates Court.

The letter signed by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Irene Davidson, objects to the proposal using a summary of evidence which the council wants to be taken into account based on the economic and social impact the court closure will have on the borough.

The three page letter is summed up in the conclusion which reads: “In short, the proposal appears to have been developed with scant knowledge or understanding of Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood Magistrates’ Court, the Borough of Rochdale’s communities, or the borough’s connections with the rest of Greater Manchester.

“It is difficult to square these proposals with the intention set out in the July 2010 Ministry of Justice Draft Structural Reform Plan to ‘turn government on its head, taking power away from Whitehall and putting it into the hands of people and communities’ and the proposal seems wildly at odds with the ambition that ‘people themselves will have the power to improve our country and our public services, through the mechanisms of local democratic accountability, competition, choice, and social action’.

“As a council we are keenly aware of the need to reduce spending and cut the budget deficit. We are implementing difficult savings of £50 million next financial year to play our part. However, on this crucial local issue, we urge HMCS and the Ministry of Justice to halt, in its current form, the proposed closure of Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood Magistrates’ Court.

“We believe that justice would be best served if HMCS was to enter a dialogue with the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities to develop revised proposals to ensure that scarce public resource is spent in the most effective way, while meeting the needs of all our communities. We believe that all Greater Manchester courts should be assessed on their efficiency, accessibility, and state of repair. A more developed proposal could then be brought forward that takes into account the full financial and opportunity cost of court closures while serving the needs of local community justice.”

The council is also sending the letter and report to Jonathan Djanogly MP, the Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke MP, the Rt Hon. Theresa May MP and the Rt Hon. Eric Pickles MP.

Rochdale Magistrates Court is one of 103 courts across the country named in proposed closures.

Elsewhere within Greater Manchester it is also proposed to close Salford Magistrates Court and relocate its work to Manchester City Magistrates Court.

The consultation period ends on Wednesday (15 September 2010).