There’s nothing like sending out a strong message to potential offenders by shutting down all the magistrates’ courts so you can flog the land off to developers. Right?
The Ministry of Justice is ‘consulting’ on the idea of closing Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court and moving cases to Croydon and says it wants ‘a system that works for everyone which means ensuring people have access to justice’. But they let slip what it’s really about at the end of their response, when they mention ‘the estate in London’.
You don’t improve services and access to justice by sending cases further afield – and to a court that already has three month delays. And if your local MP opposes the plan in the strongest possible terms, then you should probably take time to reconsider.
Chances are though, as with most of these so-called consultations, that the money from selling off the land has already been factored in elsewhere and it’s only a matter of time before the closure goes ahead.
We would love to be proved wrong!
