Mr. GamierTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many, and which(a) county courts and (b) magistrates courts in England and Wales have been closed since 1 February 1994, indicating the date of each closure; how many and which justices benches in England and Wales have been amalgamated since 1 February 1994, indicating the date of each amalgamation; what were the financial savings achieved by the above closures and amalgamations, identifying the effect in financial terms for the relevant police force, legal representation costs and witness expenses. [112772]
§ Jane KennedyLists of(a) county court and (b) magistrates court closures, and (c) justices bench amalgamations are as set out.
(a) The list of county court closures and the following paragraph have been supplied by the Chief Executive of the Court Service. Fifty-five county courts in England and Wales have been closed or amalgamated since 1 February 1994. The financial savings to the Court Service are in terms of rent and accommodation charges, running costs such as staff salaries, telephone, postage, maintenance of buildings and judicial expense. There have been no savings in financial terms in respect of police forces as this is not relevant to the county courts. The Lord Chancellor does not keep statistics on what representation costs or witness expenses may have been saved through county court closures. Precise figures on all the savings accruing from county court closures since 1994 are not specifically kept by the Court Service. However, a broad conservative estimate of accommodation charges saved and general running costs would indicate a minimum saving of £6,000,000 over the six year period.
(b) Eighty-one magistrates courts have been closed in England and Wales since September 1995.
Magistrates courthouses are owned or leased by the paying authority on behalf of the magistrates courts service. They are not Crown property. The Lord Chancellor's 655W Department has conducted an annual survey of magistrates courthouses since 1995, but holds no records prior to that date.
(c) Since 1 February 1994, in England and Wales, 181 justices benches (or petty sessions areas) have been amalgamated to form 78 new justices benches.
Under the provisions of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997, Magistrates Courts Committees are responsible for the provision of an efficient and effective service to court users. When determining the future of its courthouses, it is for each Committee to identify the scope of its own criteria for the number and location of magistrates courts within its area and the possible financial savings. The financial saving achieved by the closures and amalgamations is not collected centrally and could be obtained only from each Magistrates Courts Committee at a disproportionate cost.
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(a)County Courts closed since April 1994 County Court Date of closure Devizes 1 April 1994 Frome 1 April 1994 Clacton 5 April 1994 Sevenoaks 5 April 1994 Sheerness 5 April 1994 Sudbury 5 April 1994 Bangor 4 July 1994 Portmadog 4 July 1994 Stroud 4 July 1994 Stockton-on-Tees 2 November 1994 Lampeter 5 December 1994 Launceston 5 December 1994 Liskeard 5 December 1994 Ellesmere Port 5 December 1994 Axminster and Chard 5 December 1994 Shaftesbury 5 December 1994 Amersham 9 January 1995 Wisbech 29 September 1995 Market Drayton 27 October 1995 Brentwood 29 December 1995 Bargoed 29 December 1995 Barry 29 December 1995 Cardigan 29 December 1995 Llandrindod Wells 29 December 1995 Otley 2 January 1996 Alfreton 16 February 1996 Ilkeston 16 February 1996 Matlock 16 February 1996 Sleaford 16 February 1996 Spalding 16 February 1996 Dover 29 March 1996 Folkestone 29 March 1996 Newton Abbot 29 March 1996 Sittingbourne 29 March 1996 St. Austell 29 March 1996 Chippenham 30 april 1996 Goole 4 November 1996 Ammanford 27 March 1997 Andover 30 June 1997 Braintree 1 December 1997 Bishop's Stortford 1 December 1997 Alnwick 15 December 1997 Blyth 15 December 1997 Berwick upon Tweed 15 December 1997 Bridlington 24 December 1997 Rochdale 7 September 1998 Holy well 7 September 1998 Camborne and Redruth 24 December 1998 Hemel Hempstead 24 December 1998 West Bromwich 24 December 1998 Loughborough 31 December 1998
(a) County courts closed since April 1994 County Court Date of closure Corby 1 March 1999 Bridgwater 20 December 1999 Great Yarmouth 31 January 2000 Grays Thurrock 31 January 2000
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(b) Magistrates Courthouses closed since September 1995 Magistrates Courthouse Closure date Nottingham (Guildhall) 30 November 1995 Nottingham (Sand Field House) 30 November 1995 Bala 31 December 1995 Hunstanton 31 December 1995 Pembroke 31 December 1995 Tywyn 31 December 1995 Whitminster 31 December 1995 Bromley (South Street) 28 February 1996 Mansfield (Commercial Street) 28 February 1996 Hornsea 31 March 1996 Howden 31 March 1996 Market Weighton 31 March 1996 Old Street 12 July 1996 Halstead 31 August 1996 Biddulph 30 September 1996 Cheadle 30 September 1996 Kidsgrove 30 September 1996 Tonbridge 31 October 1996 Amlwch 31 December 1996 Bedale 31 December 1996 Blaenau Festiniog 31 December 1996 Easingwold 31 December 1996 East Dereham 31 December 1996 Ingleton 31 December 1996 Leyburn 31 December 1996 Llangollen 31 December 1996 Thirsk 31 December 1996 Pontardawe 23 March 1997 Ellesmere Port 31 March 1997 Hampstead 31 March 1997 Marylebone (185 Marylebone Road) 31 March 1997 Otley 31 March 1997 Seaham 31 March 1997 Bromsgrove 31 May 1997 Ledbury 31 May 1997 Hebburn 5 June 1997 South Shields (Kepple Street) 5 June 1997 Bargoed 30 June 1997 Chippenham (Market Place) 30 June 1997 Monmouth 30 June 1997 Pontlottyn 30 June 1997 Pontypool 30 June 1997 Ashton under Lyne (Manchester Road) 31 August 1997 Duckinsfield 31 August 1997 Thorne 31 August 1997 Braintree 31 December 1997 Clacton on Sea 31 December 1997 Saffron Walden 31 December 1997 Stokesley 31 December 1997 Malton 6 February 1998 Appleby 31 March 1998 Bishop's Stortford 31 March 1998 Chertsey 31 March 1998 Farnham 31 March 1998 Hatfield 31 March 1998 Hitchin 31 March 1998 Market Rasen 31 March 1998 Marlborough Street 31 March 1998 Oxted 31 March 1998 Lutterworth 31 July 1998 Ripon 1 August 1998 Barnard Castle 31 December 1998 Clerkenwell 31 December 1998
(b) Magistrates Courthouses closed since September 1995 Magistrates Courthouse Closure date Corwen 31 December 1998 Diss 31 December 1998 Felixstowe 31 December 1998 Haverhill 31 December 1998 Lytham 31 December 1998 Newmarket 31 December 1998 Saxmundham 31 December 1998 Sheerness 31 December 1998 Stowmarket 31 December 1998
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(c) Amalgamated Justices Benches in England and Wales since 1 February 1994 Amalgamated Benches-Old benches forming the new benches Date Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire—Ampthill, Bedford, part Biggleswade 1 January 2000 Luton and South Bedfordshire—Luton, Dunstable, part Leighton Buzzard Northern Oxfordshire—Banbury, Bicester, Witney 1 April 1999 Oxford—Oxford and Thame and Henley East Berkshire—Forest, Maidenhead, Slough and Windsor Central Buckinghamshire—Aylesbury, Buckingham, Chiltern 1 April 1994 Wycombe and Beaconsfield—Wycombe and Burnham Carlisle and District—Carlisle and Wigton With effect from 1 April 2000 South Lakeland—South Lakes and Kendal and Lonsdale Eden—Appleby and Penrith and Alston and part of Keswick West Allerdale and Keswick—West Allerdale and Keswick Stourbridge and Halesowen—Halesowen and Stourbridge 1 April 1997 Ceredigion—Gogledd Ceredigion, Ceredigion Ganol and De Ceredigion 1 January 1999 North Pembrokeshire—Gogledd Preseli and Cleddau Carmarthen—Carmethen North and Carmarthen South Dunmow and Saffron Walden—Dunmow and Saffron Walden 1 January 1996 South West Essex—Brentwood, Thurrock 1 January 2000 North West Essex—Dunmow and Saffron Walden, Epping and Ongar and Harlow Mid North Essex—Chelmsford, Malden and Witham and part Braintree and Halstead North East Essex—Colchester, Harwich and Tendring and remainder of Braintree and Halstead North Gloucestershire—Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and North Cotswold 1 July 1994 Ynys Mon—North Anglesey and South Anglesey 1 October 1995 North Hertfordshire—North Hertfordshire and Stevenage 1 January 1995 East Hertfordshire—Bishop's Stanford, Cheshunt and Hertford and Ware 1 April 1998 North Lincolnshire—Scunthorpe, Brigg and Barton, and part Epworth and Goole 1 June 1999 Goole and Howdenshire—remainder of Epworth and Goole, Hodwenshire, part of South Hunsley Beacon and Howdenshire) South Hunsley Beacon (remainder of South Hunsley Beacon and Howdenshire) East Central—West Central and East Central 31 December 1998 Channel—Ashford and Tenterden, Dover and East Kent, Fokestone and Hythe 1 January 1999 Mid Kent—Maidstone, part Tonbridge and Mailing West Kent—remainder of Tonbridge and Mailing, Tunbridge Wells and Cranbrook, Sevenoaks, part Dartford) Dartford and Gravesham—Dartford and Gravesham 1 January 2000 Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley—Blackburn, Darwen and part Ribble Valley 1 April 1994 Burnley and Pendle—Burnley, Pendle and remainder of Ribble Valley Lancaster—Lancaster and part Wyre Preston—Preston and part Ribble Valley Blackpool and Fylde—Blackpool and Fylde 1 January 1999 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale—Burnley and Pendle, and Rossendale With effect from 1 April 2000 Melton, Belvoir and Rutland—Melton and Belvoir, and Rutland 1 January 1999 Lincoln District—Caistor, Market Rasen and part Lincoln District 1 July 1999 Wolds—part Lincoln District and existing Wolds Arfon—Bangor and Caernarfon and Gwyrfai 1 January 1998 Flintshire—Flint, Hawarden, Mold and part Rhuddlan Rhuddlan—remainder of Rhuddlan Colwyn—part of Berwyn, part of Colwyn, part of Dyffryn Clwyd 1 January 1999 Denbighshire—part of Berwyn, part of Colwyn, part of Dyffryn Clwyd, Rhuddlan Wrexham Maelor—Wrexham Maelor and part of Berwyn Claro—part of original area 1 January 1997 York—part Claro, part Easingwold, part Selby and York Northallerton—part Easingwold and Northallerton Ryedale—part Easingwold, Ryedale Selby—remainder of Selby Harrogate—Claro, Ripon Liberty, part of Northallerton, part of Selby 1 August 1998 Scarborough—Scarborough, Whitby Strand and Ryedale and part of Northallerton Northallerton and Richmond—Richmond and Northallerton
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(b)Magistrates Courthouses closed since September 1995 Magistrates Courthouse Closure date West Mailing 31 December 1998 Abingdon 31 March 1999 Christchurch 31 March 1999 Henley on Thames 31 March 1999 Morley 31 March 1999 Pudsey 31 March 1999 Windsor 31 March 1999 Stow on the Wold 30 June 1999 March 31 December 1999
(c)Amalgamated Justices Benches in England and Wales since 1 February 1994 Amalgamated Benches-Old benches forming the new benches date Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage—part Thame and Henley, part Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage 1 July 1994 Bicester—part Woodstock, Bicester Banbury—part Woodstock, North Oxfordshire, Chipping Norton Oxford—part Thames and Henley, Oxford and part Abingdon Thame and Henley—remainder of Thame and Henley Witney—Witney, remainder of Woodstock De Brycheiniog—Brecon and Ystradgynlais 1 Januarv 1999 De Maldwyn—Machynlleth and Newtown Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood—Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood 1 January 1996 North Staffordshire—Staffordshire Moorlands and Newcastle under Lyme and Pirehill North 1 January 2000 Mid Staffordshire and Rugeley—Mid Staffordshire and Rugeley Cannock and Seisdon—Cannock and Seisdon Lichfield and Tamworth—Lichfield and Tamworth North East Suffolk—Beecles, Lowestoft and Saxmundham 1 January 1995 Haverhill and Sudbury—Haverhill and Sudbury 1 January 1999 St. Edmundsbury and Stowmarket—St. Edmundsbury and Stowmarket Tameside—Ashton-Under-Lyme and South Tameside 1 April 1994 Neath Port Talbot—Neath, Port Talbot 1 April 1996 Swansea—Swansea, Lliw Valley Horsham—Horsham and part Steyning 1 April 1996 Worthing and District—Worthing and remainder of Steyning North West Wiltshire—North Wiltshire, West Wiltshire 1 January 2000 South East Wiltshire—Kennet, Salisbury