ALTRINCHAM County Court and Trafford Magistrates Court have been recommended for closure under a Government review.

Both courts, located in the Trafford Courthouse building, in Washway Road, Sale, are among 18 across the North West facing the axe.

A 12 week consultation into the proposals – announced today by Courts Minister, Shailesh Vara – will begin tomorrow and end on October 8.

“We are reforming the courts and tribunal service so that it meets the needs of modern day users,” said Ms Vara.

“Access to justice is not just about attending court. As we bring in digital technology for better and more efficient access to justice, fewer people will need to physically be in a court.

“This means that we will need fewer buildings, and with many already underused and in poor quality, now is a good time to review the estate.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said that Trafford Magistrates and Altrincham County were among the 18 ‘underused and poor quality court and tribunal buildings’ being recommended for closure.

The spokesman added: “The buildings being consulted on represent 16 per cent of hearing rooms across the estate in England and Wales, which are, on average, used for only a third of their available time.

“That is equivalent to fewer than two out of five days in a week.

“The majority of these courts are not used for at least two thirds of their available time, and one in three are not used three quarters of the time.”

Natalie Ceeney, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service chief executive, added: “Our estate is a significant asset. We currently have a number of surplus buildings and this consultation puts forward proposals on their future.

“As we modernise our service so that fewer people will need to attend a court in person, spending money on unsuitable or rarely used buildings is not good value for money for taxpayers.

“I encourage anyone with an interest to respond to the proposals”.

The courts being recommended for closure in the North West are: Accrington County Court.

  • Accrington Magistrates’ Court.
  • Altrincham County Court.
  • Bolton County Court and Family Court.
  • Bury Magistrates’ Court and County Court.
  • Kendal Magistrates’ Court and County Court.
  • Macclesfield County Court.
  • Macclesfield Magistrates’ Court.
  • Oldham County Court.
  • Oldham Magistrates’ Court.
  • Ormskirk Magistrates’ Court and Family Court.
  • Runcorn (Halton) Magistrates’ Court.
  • St Helens Magistrates’ Court and County Court.
  • Stockport Magistrates’ Court and County Court.
  • Tameside County Court.
  • Trafford Magistrates’ Court and Altrincham County Court.
  • Warrington County Court.
  • West Cumbria Magistrates’ and County Court.

You can download the consultation here: official-sensitive_north-west-consultation-paper_final.doc