Pulse.Assent

• Savings from closing seven courts to be reinvested into reform
• Systems will be modernised, improving access to justice for all
• Following careful consideration, Cambridge Magistrates’ Court will remain open

Services will be moved to alternative locations as close as possible to the closing court.

During 2016/17, 41% of court and tribunal buildings were used for less than half of their available time. This, coupled with an estate inherited from previous organisations before the advent of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), means there is some excess court capacity, with some of the estate in poor condition or in close proximity to another court building.

Following public consultations, decisions have been made to close:

• Banbury Magistrates’ and County Court
• Blackfriars Crown Court
• Chorley Magistrates’ Court
• Fleetwood Magistrates’ Court
• Maidenhead Magistrates’ Court
• Northallerton Magistrates’ Court
• Wandsworth County Court

All courts were assessed on the basis of ensuring access to justice, delivering value for money and the ability to offer efficiency in the long term. Cambridge Magistrates’ Court – on which the decision to consult was finely balanced – will remain open following consideration of a range of issues, including its location within a large and well-connected city and new evidence suggesting that closure would not provide sufficient value for money.

Unlike the other seven courts which are freeholds owned by HMCTS, Cambridge Magistrates’ Court is a long Finance Lease with restrictions on use. After further investigation of the likely costs, the Lord Chancellor has concluded that the value for money case has not been made. HMCTS will continue to explore further ways to manage under-utilisation of existing buildings in the region as part of its wider estates strategy.

Northallerton Magistrates’ Court serves an exceptionally rural community but during the course of the consultation public service transport timetables were altered. This may make it more difficult for some users in some areas to get to court, especially for early morning starts. As a result, the court will not be closed until video facilities are made available in Northallerton.

Lord Chancellor, David Gauke said:

All money raised from the sale of these buildings will be reinvested into the justice system, and we want to reassure communities that those affected by closures will have access to alternative courts.

We must ensure we use public money effectively and make decisions in the best interest of the wider justice system.

More than 700 responses were received following the consultations published in January. Travel times and distances to the nearest courts were thoroughly considered before final decisions were made.

The Government is investing £1 billion in reforming and modernising courts and tribunals, which has already delivered:

• An online system which enables court staff to prepare case files and access them digitally in a courtroom during a hearing – saving 68 million pages of paper.
• The ability for those convicted of minor motoring offences to make their initial plea online. Some 1500 pleas are dealt with online every week. Court staff and the police automatically receive the completed online plea form as soon as the defendant has submitted it, reducing delays.
• A fully paperless system in conjunction with Transport for London – which means thousands of cases involving fare evasion are dealt with more swiftly and effectively.

In the civil courts people can now:

• Make a small money claim online – with over 3,000 claims issued in the first month, cases moving through more quickly, and user satisfaction over 80% during the pre-launch pilot.
• Apply for a divorce online – which has cut errors in application forms from 40% to less than 1%, saving people time and trouble during a traumatic time.
• Apply for probate online – which has also cut errors, sped up the process, and has a satisfaction rate of more than 90%.

Court buildings are also being improved and as of March 2018 approximately £108m was spent on capital maintenance to improve the existing estate. Approximately £115m has been raised from the sales of surplus buildings to reinvest in the wider reform programme.

The tenth meeting of the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group took place in London on 19 July 2018, chaired by the Rt Hon. Alistair Burt MP, Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and HE Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain.

Mr Burt and Shaikh Khalid, together with officials from Bahrain and the UK, discussed a wide range of areas of bilateral co-operation, including regional issues, defence, security, human rights, education, the environment, and trade and investment opportunities.

The UK remains fully supportive of Bahrain’s plans to deliver sustainable change in the Kingdom. The Ministers agreed that the UK would continue to share appropriate technical assistance, expertise and experience. Mr Burt also congratulated Bahrain on being the first country in the region to achieve Tier 1 status in the US 2018 Trafficking in Persons report.

Both governments will continue to work in partnership to achieve progress on the areas discussed ahead of the next meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Bahrain later this year.

Speaking at the end of the Joint Working Group, Alistair Burt said:

It was a pleasure to welcome Shaikh Khalid to London today, for a productive meeting of our Joint Working Group. The UK and Bahrain have always had a close and important relationship which continues to grow in strength across a wide range of areas of mutual interest.

The UK will continue to support Bahrain on the delivery of ongoing reform initiatives, and we will work together to underpin peace and security in the Gulf region.

More information

The UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group was established in March 2013. It is a forum for discussing issues of mutual interest across the bilateral relationship, including regional and trade issues, with a focus on reform and human rights.

96% of people who responded to the non-statutory consultation backed the need for the improvements to this junction, which will be redesigned under the plans to create dedicated free flow lanes which will allow drivers travelling between the M3 and the A34 to avoid using the junction roundabout.

The roundabout itself will be rebuilt to allow for the additional lanes to run through it, increasing capacity and making it easier for traffic to interchange between the M3 and the A34. This will reduce queuing and make journey times more reliable.

Highways England Project Manager Simon Hewett said:

More than 110,000 vehicles use this busy junction each day to interchange with the A34 and routes into Winchester, often more than 6,000 each hour during peak times. Regular road users know that often becomes congested, with queues backing up onto the main carriageway.

The upgrade to M3 junction 9 will create new dedicated link roads to separate out local and long distance traffic. Through traffic will not have to stop at the roundabout, freeing it up for local traffic and commuters. We are improving access for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians, with the upgrade including a new 4m side cycle path with a new footpath next to the cycleway to the River Itchen.

We are aware of people’s concerns about traffic merging between the A34 and A33; this was the most common point raised during the consultation period and we are reviewing a number of options to address this.

A public consultation on the upgrade was held from 9 January to 19 February. 854 responses were received during this consultation. Information events were held in the Winchester area for the public and stakeholders including local authorities, landowners and businesses, so people could look at the plans and speak to members of the project team.

96% of people who responded to the consultation questionnaire said they agree that improvements are needed at the junction. 98% of people were concerned about traffic congestion at the existing M3 junction 9, with 92% concerned both about road safety and reliability of journey time.

Today’s announcement paves the way for work on the upgrade to start in the 2021, subject to statutory processes. The upgraded junction is expected to be fully open to traffic in 2023.

A copy of the consultation report and announcement flyer can be found on the Highways England website where anyone interested in the scheme can also sign up to receive updates.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

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Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.