The Petition of residents of Dudley,
Declares that there are plans to move all criminal cases from Dudley Magistrates Court to courts in Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Walsall; further that the Petitioners believe justice should be seen to be done locally as it will be harder for local victims to testify, harder for local people to volunteer in court and harder for the press to deter crime by reporting on local cases; and further that moving the work of Dudley Magistrates Court may lead to current employees being made redundant or forced to move.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons to urge the Ministry of Justice to stop criminal cases moving from Dudley Magistrates Court to criminal courts in Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Walsall.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Ian Austin, Official Report, 12 November 2013; Vol. 570, c. 927.]
[P001291]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Justice:
The West Midlands and Warwickshire Justices’ Issues Group (JIG) is of the view that centralisation of workload will deliver improved performance, efficiency and service across the Black Country Local Justice Area. The preferred proposal will address wastage caused by trials falling out of the diary at the last minute—collapsing or cracking—and address the current issue of under utilised courts. Magistrates, Judges and HMCTS must comply with their legal obligations under the Criminal Procedure Rules in respect of the service that is offered to all parties in criminal proceedings and this is compromised by the current utilisation of estate.
The intention is to comply with the West Midlands and Warwickshire JIG Listing Policy—the Listing Policy—which stipulates the principles by which the magistrates’ courts in West Midlands and Warwickshire should operate. The aims of the Listing Policy are,
“to establish, maintain and operate a planned court sitting and listing pattern making optimum use of available resources.. .to ensure only necessary time is set to conduct the business of the court.”
The West Midlands and Warwickshire Justices’ Issues Group places considerable importance on partnership working between HMCTS and the Magistrates. The JIG is concerned that there was not the support of the Magistrates in the Black Country to the proposals outlined and in view of the weight of the responses from the judiciary it has been decided that the proposals are to be reviewed. A new set of proposals will be submitted for consultation shortly.
The JIG will work with magistrates, HMCTS officers, and those who use the courts, to draft a revised proposal for a Listing Pattern for the new Black Country Local Justice Area. In the interim, all Black Country courthouses will maintain sittings. It must be emphasised that the risk of inefficiencies outlined in the consultation document remain apparent. Compliance with the West Midlands and Warwickshire Listing Policy, issued in December 2012 by the JIG, will continue to be enforced. In order to manage the workload in courtrooms in the short term, regular reviews will be undertaken, which may on occasion result in the cancellation of sitting days, where too few cases can be listed there on the day to justify opening the court.