Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts that have been closed since 2010 have yet to be sold; and what the cost to the Government has been of each of those court premises since they were closed.
The table below provides a list of former court buildings which are closed and unsold. Three of these buildings are currently being used as Nightingale courts as a temporary measure as we recover from the impacts of COVID-19.
Court | Notes | Holding Costs since closure |
Chichester Magistrates’ Court and Combined Court | Operating as a temporary Nightingale court since 6 April 2021. | £556,242 |
Chorley Magistrates Court |
| £275,984 |
Exeter Magistrates Court |
| £91,784 |
Fleetwood Magistrates Court | Operating as a temporary Nightingale court since 24 August 2020. | £123,041 |
Harlow Magistrates Court |
| £153,362 |
Hartlepool Magistrates Court | We expect these costs to reduce by c.£200,000 due to a service charge rebate. | £476,193 |
Maidenhead Magistrates Court |
| £391,241 |
Scunthorpe Magistrates and County Court |
| £432,597 |
Telford County Court | Operating as a temporary Nightingale court since 17 July 2020. | £252,115 |
Holding costs include utilities, rates, maintenance and security, and with the exception of the Nightingale courts, are from the closure of the court until 31st August 2021. For the Nightingale courts, holding costs are calculated until their date of temporary reopening.
We assessed all unsold former court buildings as potential Nightingale courts, but due to condition issues and operational limitations, only the three buildings noted were suitable.
The decision to close any court is not taken lightly. It only happens following full public consultation and only when effective access to justice can be maintained. Courts that have closed were either underused, dilapidated or too close to another court.