Gloucestershire County Council will be writing to the Lord Chancellor to request the closure of Gloucester and Stroud Magistrates Courts is stopped.
At a full council meeting yesterday, store members unanimously passed a motion to take action to try to prevent the planned closure of two of Gloucestershire’s three Magistrates Courts.
The Ministry of Justice announced its plans to close both Gloucester and Stroud, generic leaving Cheltenham Magistrates Court as the county’s sole venue.
But councillors believe that this is the wrong thing to do.
The motion states that a letter, and outlining the council’s concerns and a request for the courts to remain open, be sent to the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Justice.
The council will also be writing to all local MPs, judiciary leaders, Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, the Chief Constable, district council leaders, the Probation Service and members of the Police and Crime Panel inviting them to publicly oppose the closures.
The motion also calls for a review on the effect the closures could have on the county criminal justice system and the planned redevelopment of the Blackfriars area of Gloucester where the city’s court is located.
Cllr Barry Kirby, Labour Group, proposed the motion. He said: “The strains for people travelling many miles to court will add to the stress of already being part of a legal processes, be they a defendant, victim or witness.”
Cllr Will Windsor Clive, cabinet member for community safety (Conservative): “I welcome this motion, which allows the county council to support the existing campaign on this issue.”
Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said: “It is ridiculous to think that a city the size of Gloucester with its 2,000 year history, has a cathedral and is the headquarters for local government in the county, would not have a magistrates court in future.
“It’s essential that the government maintains the magistrates court in Gloucester and provides funding for new modern facilities.”
Cllr Alan Preest, Leader of the UKIP Group, said: “It’s a no brianer. We need to keep the courts open in our towns.
“The Forest of Dean court closed long ago, and if we lost Gloucester court too, many local people would have to travel too far for it to be fair.”