Despite considerable opposition from business leaders, the Law Society and local communities, the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has backed plans to close ten Sheriff Courts across the country, with an expected saving of £1.3m a year. The courts, in places such as Arbroath, Dornoch, Haddington, Peebles and Rothesay will start to close from November with work then being transferred to other centres.
Johann Lamont
MSPs spent two-and-a-half hours debating the plan by the Scottish Court Service to shut the courts and another seven justice of the peace courts. They had considered an open letter signed jointly by Labour’s Johann Lamont, the Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie of the Liberal Democrats asking the Committee to support a motion put forward by opposition MSPs to annul the proposals. However, the majority of SNP and independent members meant that the decision went through by five votes to four.
The Opposition MSPs had argued that the closures would mean that witnesses and victims would have to travel further to see justice being done. That view was felt particularly strongly on Bute where there was near-universal public opposition to the plans – people on the island will now have to travel to Greenock where their cases will be heard. There are also fears that the remaining courts may well struggle to cope with the increased business.
Kenny MacAskill
Justice Secretary
At an earlier hearing where both the Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, and Scotland’s most senior judge, Lord Gill, had appeared, it became increasingly clear to campaigners that they had lost the fight. Mr MacAskill for instance had justified closures both as a cost-saving measure and as part of wider series of reforms, insisting that the Scottish Government could not “deliver better access to justice by avoiding the need for change. It is right,” he said, “that we examine structures that have served us since the 19th century.”
The SNP MSP for North East Fife, Rod Campbell, had told the committee it was a tough decision to support closure. He said that he had “failed to change the cabinet secretary’s mind over the closure of the court in Cupar”, something he regretted. However, he finally voted in favour on the grounds that he had a national rather than a local view and “to take my role as a wider member of the justice committee.”
Opponents had argued that the plans would be bad for justice and had questioned the figures behind the decision, first approved by the Scottish government in April. As part of the reforms, the number of courts hearing sheriff and jury cases across Scotland will be reduced and new “justice centres” would be created. These would hold police, social work and victim support services as well as the courts under one roof.