North Liverpool Community Justice Centre

Wednesday 17th July 2013 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mrs Helen Grant)]

I am today launching a consultation on the closure of North Liverpool Community Justice Centre. It is proposed that the work of the centre, and the principles of its problem-solving approach, moves to Sefton magistrates court less than two miles away.

North Liverpool Community Justice Centre has operated from its Boundary Street site, a former primary school, since September 2005. However, the local work load has fallen to the extent that the centre is now underutilised. In the light of current and future financial constraints it is increasingly difficult to justify the ongoing operation of the Boundary Street site.

In this case, and on any future local consultations on court and tribunal closures, I believe that a consultation period of six weeks is sufficient to canvass the views of interested parties rather than a 12-week national consultation exercise. I am committed to ensuring that we continue to provide court and tribunal users with effective access to justice while seeking ways to do so at a lower cost and alongside our efforts to improve the efficiency of the justice system as a whole.

The consultation document is published on the Ministry of Justice website at www.justice.gov.uk