Court system 'close to breaking point'
Costs shunted from one area to another, says damning report
THE court system is “close to breaking point”, according to a damning new report.
Even as Newbury’s courthouse is set to close forever at the end of this month, a report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, entitled Efficiency in the criminal justice system, concludes that “costs are being shunted from one part of the system to another”.
Critics of the decision to close West Berkshire Magistrates’ Court, including local defence solicitors Stephen Collins and Mike Davis, had already warned that police would end up spending time and resources tracing, arresting and transporting defendants who could not afford to travel to Reading, Slough or Maidenhead for hearings.
A member of court staff at Reading, who asked not to be named, said the system there was already creaking under an intolerable workload even before it begins absorbing West Berkshire cases from July.
In recent years, sittings at Newbury have been reduced from five days a week to one, prompting Newbury MP Richard Benyon to accuse Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) of running it down to justify its closure.
The report now acknowledges “...the courts have struggled with backlogs after sitting days were reduced” and it goes on to denounce unacceptable delays in cases reaching conclusion.
Some local magistrates, who said they had been forbidden from speaking publicly, told this newspaper that they were disheartened by the loss of local justice and warned that victims in places such as Lambourn would be unable to access courts in East Berkshire by public transport.
The report notes: “We remain concerned that the impact on all court users has not been properly considered.
“We questioned HMCTS about a letter received from a constituent who lives in a rural area with very limited public transport, raising concerns about how they would travel to court.
“The ministry was unable to provide an answer as to how the constituent could get to court.”
Both Mr Benyon and Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Anthony Stansfeld have accused the justice ministry of “short-termism” and waste after huge sums were spent upgrading the custody suite before closure.
The report states: “We were surprised to hear that HMCTS has continued to spend limited resources on courts which are now being closed.”
The committee’s report describes the system as “close to breaking point... bedevilled by long-standing poor performance, including delays and inefficiencies, and costs are being shunted from one part of the system to another”.
It concludes that the system is inadequate at supporting victims and witnesses, and that timely access to justice is too dependent on where victims and witnesses live.
Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier MP said: “An effective criminal justice system is a cornerstone of civil society, but ours is at risk.
“Too little thought has been given to the consequences of cutbacks – its credibility in the eyes of the public is under threat.”
She added: “Our report paints a stark picture of the human cost of critical failings in management from the top down.
“The system is overstretched and disjointed. Victims of crime are entitled to justice, yet they are at the mercy of a postcode lottery for access to that justice.”
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman, Yasmin Kaye, said: “The Justice Secretary has been clear that our criminal justice system needs urgent reform.
“That is why we have embarked on comprehensive measures to improve our prisons and courts, backed by over £2billion of investment, to build a swifter, more certain justice system.
“Our plans will bring modern technology into our courts to better meet the needs of everyone who uses our services, and will replace ageing and ineffective prisons with new buildings designed to support rehabilitation.
“We welcome this report and will reflect on the recommendations.”
