Stafford Magistrates' Court earmarked for closure

joshua

joshua

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http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Staf...rked-closure/story-26914983-detail/story.html

Stafford Magistrates' Court earmarked for closure
By PhilCorrigan | Posted: July 16, 2015

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Stafford Magistrates' Court


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STAFFORDSHIRE'S county town is set to lose its magistrates' court under Government plans.

Stafford Magistrates' Court is among 91 'surplus' courts and tribunals which have been earmarked for closure by the Ministry of Justice.

Courts and legal aid minister Shailesh Vara said a third of all courts and tribunals were empty for more than 50 per cent of their available hearing time.

Fenton's magistrates' court was closed in 2012 following the extension of the court in Newcastle.


A 12-week consultation on the closure plans is set to run until October 8.
 
Wormella

Wormella

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I'm working with the guy who brought Fenton Town Hall (formally magistrates court) As he tries to turn it into a community venture / tech hub / hack space - He said waking up one morning and realising he owned police cells and a ball room was a tiny bit crazy.
 
Wormella

Wormella

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I can't imagine there will be a campaign clamouring to keep it from being knocked down and turned into something else...

Having a look at it on Street view - it's a good solid whack of real estate...
 
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staffordjas

staffordjas

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I actually remember the magistrates court being above where the guildhall is now , many years ago. Funnily enough, when we went into River Island last week the doors upstairs were open to bring stock through and you could see through to the corridors of the old court.
 
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M

markpa12003

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I would be delighted to see the magistrates court building demolished. its absolutely awful and sitting on a large area of prime development land.

May be something good may come from these austerity cuts after all.....
 
Ecker

Ecker

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Withnail said:
Aren't the majority of cases already heard in Cannock?
Click to expand...
Perhaps that goes some way towards explaining why:

"Shailesh Vara said a third of all courts and tribunals were empty for more than 50 per cent of their available hearing time"
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Ecker said:
"Shailesh Vara said a third of all courts and tribunals were empty for more than 50 per cent of their available hearing time"
Click to expand...
Two years ago Justice Minister Damian Green said:
It is unacceptable that only 44 per cent of trials go ahead on the day they have been listed, if every day only 44 per cent of trains left the stations, or 44 per cent of planned hospital operations took place there would be a national uproar. Yet every day this happens in the Magistrates’ courts.

‘It is simply not good enough. So I want to see a far higher proportion of effective trials that go ahead the first time that they are listed. Ineffective trials should be the exception, not the rule.
Click to expand...

Am I missing something here?
 
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