THE Lord Chancellor has rang the death knell on Trafford Magistrates Court.

It has been announced today that Trafford Magistrates’ Court and Altrincham County Court will close and its workload will move to Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court and Manchester County Court respectively.

The courts, both located in Washway Road, Sale, were among 18 across the North West to face the axe.

Following a consultation, Courts Minister, Shailesh Vara announced that ten were to close as planned, five were to be closed but with changes to the original proposals, and three were retained. Trafford’s courts was one of the ten to close as planned.

Mr Vara said: “The decision to close a court or tribunal must never be taken lightly. For each location, I have considered whether the closure would still allow for effective access to justice, whether it offers a significant saving, and whether it would allow HM Courts & Tribunals Service to maintain high quality service provision. Where these conditions are met, we have taken the decision to close the court or tribunal.”

According to consultation documents, 11 responses were received in relation to Trafford Magistrates’ Court and Altrincham County Court.

The responses received included references to access to justice issues.

Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady stated: “If both Trafford and Stockport were to close then there would be no court facility in the south of Manchester. This would adversely impact the delivery of local justice and put a heavy burden on court users.”

HM Courts & Tribunals Service said that whilst it acknowledged and accepted that some people will need to travel further to reach the courts in Manchester, 79 per cent of potential court users in Altrincham will be able to travel to the court by public transport in less than an hour.

Value for money was also an issue. Documents show that the operating costs for Trafford Courthouse for 2014-15 were approximately £595,000.

Trafford Council stated that closure of the court ‘does not appear to represent a particularly significant financial saving’ whilst another respondent said that disposal of the site ‘should realise a significant benefit to the taxpayer’.

Responses were also received in relation to operational efficiency.

Trafford Council stated: “Given the number of cases we bring before the court on an annual basis, we are concerned that there will simply not be the capacity for Manchester and Salford Magistrate’s Court to absorb and have the capacity to deal with our cases in an efficient manner.”

During 2014-15, Trafford Courthouse was utilised at approximately 27 per cent of its capacity. HM Courts & Tribunals Service said this is very low and does not justify keeping the court open.

Trafford Council also suggested the use of the following buildings as alternatives to court: Altrincham Town Hall, Sale Waterside and Trafford Town Hall.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service said that whilst it was grateful to Trafford Council for their suggestions, the close proximity to Manchester City Centre and good transport links between Trafford and Manchester indicate that future use of these buildings will not be necessary.

The courthouses are expected to close by June this year.