MP's fury over Newbury court 'closure by stealth'

The news has infuriated Newbury MP Richard Benyon and the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld.
Both have demanded that the current position is reversed and Mr Stansfeld fumed: “I have had considerable concerns expressed to me by the local magistrates. Magistrates based miles away from where crime is committed have little understanding of local issues.”
In 2010, following a determined campaign by interested parties including magistrates, solicitors, Mr Benyon and other local politicians, it was announced by the Lord Chancellor that the Newbury courthouse should be saved from the axe.
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) had sought to centralise the dispensation of local justice in Reading and Slough.
However since then, and despite the supposed reprieve, local cases are increasingly allocated to courts in Slough and Reading, while the number of days the Newbury bench sits has been cut and the court has been assigned ‘satellite’ status dealing principally with non custodial offences.
Meanwhile Mr Benyon has been warned by the service that it was considering sidelining the Newbury court even further in defiance of public opinion.
One effect of the quiet downgrading was highlighted last month when magistrates were unable to deal with a defendant who aggressively taunted them - because the permanent prisoner escort service has been withdrawn from the court.
Then, on October 24, a defendant left the dock and advanced menacingly on magistrates, screaming and hurling papers at them.
The bench was forced to retire and seek refuge in chambers while the defendant continued to rant, intimidating a female usher before finally storming from the building unchallenged.
The chairman of the national Magistrates’ Association, John Fassenfelt, said: “This is an issue of basic safety...they should provide proper security.”
The issue has prompted a lively debate on the forum of our website, Newburytoday.co.uk with one poster stating: “ Let's face it, in reality, it's closed as a real and effective court already. There's community based democracy in action for you.”
Another poster said: “If they aren't going to listen to the will of the people, honestly, what is the point of having a democracy?”
That point was not lost on Mr Benyon, who has demanded a meeting with the head of constitutional policy at the Ministry of Justice, Chris Jennings.
In a strongly-worded letter to him, Mr Benyon wrote: “You will be aware of the decision taken by the Lord Chancellor not to close the court and there is now great concern that this decision seems to be considered a matter that can just be overturned by the local courts service.”
Mr Benyon said: “I’m determined to stop this closure by stealth. Of course I’m also concerned about the safety of magistrates but there’s the issue of witnesses and victims not being able to travel from parts of West Berkshire to hearings in Reading or Slough. It’s short termism - a few years ago a lot of money was spent improving the court’s custody suite. What a waste of money that was. “Either we have local justice or we don’t; either you abide by the decision of the highest legal officer in the country or you don’t. I’m determined to see that they do.”