Courts to close as part of £700m investment in modernisation
“MODERNISATION” measures have prompted the HM Courts and Tribunals to close nearly a fifth of their sites in the UK.
86 of 460 court buildings will close as a result. These include Halifax County and Family Court, Wakefield Magistrates Court, Calderdale Magistrates Court (also Halifax), Rotherham Magistrates and Family Court and Scunthorpe Magistrates Court in Yorkshire.
They will be closed in staggered tranches, according to the minister for the courts and legal aid, Shailesh Vara.
HM Courts said that they were “committed” to investing £700m in the next four years to modernise the court and tribunal estate.
It said that last year 48% of all courts and tribunals were empty for at least half their available hearing time.
Initially, in an announcement in July 2015, HM Courts announced 91 were to close. A public consultation decreased the number to 86.
Mr Vara said in a statement: “As part of this modernisation, the court and tribunal estate has to be updated. These buildings are expensive to maintain yet unsuitable for modern technology.”
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