Half of magistrates’ courts in England and Wales closed since 2010 amid justice ‘crisis’

Government says people will have 'reasonable access to alternative courts'

All criminal cases start in magistrates' courts (AFP)

Half of all magistrates' courts in England and Wales have closed since 2010, figures show amid warnings of a mounting justice “crisis”.

Critics have accused the government of “undermining local access to justice” with successive rounds of closures, but ministers say the money made from sold buildings will be reinvested.

A total of 162 out of 323 magistrates’ courts stopped operating between 2010 and 2018, according to data published by the House of Commons library.

Local campaigners have fought the closures but the Ministry of Justice said it had consulted the public before deciding to axe courts that are “underused, dilapidated or too close to another”.

It came after separate figures revealed that the proportion of crimes prosecuted in the UK had fallen to 8 per cent.

Lawyers, police officers and victim workers interviewed by The Independent described a worsening “crisis” driven by police cuts, rows over disclosure, falling confidence and the backlash to a series of collapsed rape cases.

Richard Atkinson, co-chair of the Law Society’s criminal law committee, said plummeting prosecutions were “just one symptom of underfunding”.

“We are facing a crisis within our justice system, we are starting to see it crumble around us,” he added.

All criminal cases start in magistrates’ courts, where judges either deal with offences themselves or transfer more serious crimes to crown courts.

The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into the impact on access to justice, with 150 parliamentary constituencies containing closed courts.

Those axed are mostly in southeast England, and include East Berkshire Magistrates' Court, in Theresa May’s own constituency. The sale of court buildings has raised around £223m.

Lucy Frazer, justice minister, said: “The closure of any court is not taken lightly - it only happens following full public consultation and when communities have reasonable access to alternative courts.

"We are reinvesting every penny raised from selling these underused buildings into modernising the justice system to provide swifter and easier access to justice for all."

HM Courts and Tribunals Service says the closures are part of a programme aiming to "improve access to justice by both modernising the court and tribunal estate and by making greater use of technology".

Despite technical difficulties hitting judicial systems, authorities are trying to roll out ”virtual hearings“ in criminal cases, and encourage more people to lodge divorces and other claims online.

On Monday, two new Court and Tribunal Service Centres opened today in Stoke and Birmingham to provide judicial services including case processing, issuing orders and answer queries from the public.

Additional reporting by PA