Courts: Closures
(asked on 25th January 2021) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) County Courts, (2) Family Courts, (3) magistrates' courts, and (4) youth courts, have been closed since 2015; and for each such closure, how many (a) have been sold, and (b) stand empty.
The table below provides the status of all courts closed since 2015, shown by the jurisdictions as requested.
Name | Jurisdiction Closed | Date of Closure | Disposal Status |
2015 | |||
Chesterfield County Court | County | 31/10/2015 | Disposed |
Harrogate County Court | County/Family | 30/09/2015 | Disposed |
Hereford County Court | County/Family | 31/12/2015 | Disposed |
2016 | |||
Accrington County Court | County | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
Accrington Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
Aldershot & Farnham County Court | County/Family | 31/01/2016 | Disposed |
Aylesbury Magistrates and County Court | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Building retained as Aylesbury Crown Court |
Barnstaple Magistrates' and County Court (Crown part only) | Crown part only | 30/06/2016 | Building retained as Barnstable Magistrates, County and Family Court |
Brecon Law Courts | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Bridgend Law Courts | Combined | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Burton upon Trent Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Bury St Edmunds Crown & Magistrates' Court | Combined | 07/10/2016 | Disposed |
Buxton Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
Caerphilly Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/05/2016 | Disposed |
Carmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall) | Combined | 27/05/2016 | Disposed |
Consett Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Corby Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 01/07/2016 | Disposed |
Dartford Magistrates' Court | Magistrate/Family | 03/05/2016 | Disposed |
Dolgellau Crown & Magistrates' Court | Combined | 25/08/2016 | Disposed |
Doncaster County Court | County/Family | 03/05/2016 | Disposed |
Dorchester Crown Court (Weymouth & Dorchester Combined) | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Fareham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Feltham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Gloucester Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 09/12/2016 | Disposed |
Grantham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
Greenwich Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 27/05/2016 | Disposed |
Halifax County Court | County | 02/12/2016 | Disposed |
Halifax Magistrates' Court (Calderdale) | Magistrate/Family | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Hammersmith Magistrates' and County Court (County Court Only) | County part only | 24/06/2016 | Disposed |
Hinckley Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/07/2016 | Disposed |
Kettering Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
King's Lynn County Court | County | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Lowestoft Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Macclesfield County Court | County | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Macclesfield Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Morpeth & Berwick County Court | County | 30/05/2016 | Disposed |
Neath and Port Talbot Civil and Family Court | Combined | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Oldham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Ormskirk Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 28/06/2016 | Disposed |
Pontypridd Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 29/07/2016 | Disposed |
Prestatyn Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 15/08/2016 | Building retained as Prestatyn Justice Centre |
Rhyl County Court | County | 04/11/2016 | Disposed |
Richmond Upon Thames Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 18/03/2016 | Disposed |
Rotherham Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Sandwell Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Building retained as Shrewsbury Crown Court |
Skegness Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Solihull Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
St Helens Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 24/06/2016 | Building retained as St Helens County and Family Court |
Stroud Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Swansea Crown Court (Guildhall) | Crown | 27/05/2016 | Disposed |
Tameside Magistrates' & County Court (County Part Only) | County part only | 30/06/2016 | Building retained as Tameside Magistrates’ Court |
Trafford Magistrates' Court & Altrincham County Court | Combined | 30/06/2016 | Disposed |
Tunbridge Wells County Court | County/Family | 09/12/2016 | Disposed |
Wakefield & Pontefract Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 26/09/2016 | Disposed |
Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 30/03/2016 | Disposed |
Warrington Combined Court (County Part Only) | County part only | 30/09/2016 | Building retained as Warrington Crown Court |
West Berkshire Magistrates' Court (Newbury) | Magistrate | 24/06/2016 | Disposed |
Weymouth & Dorchester Combined Court (Westwey House) | Combined | 25/04/2016 | Disposed |
Worksop Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/03/2016 | Disposed |
Yate Magistrates' Court (North Avon) | Magistrate | 30/09/2016 | Disposed |
Yeovil County Court | County | 25/11/2016 | Disposed |
2017 | |||
Bicester Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 19/05/2017 | Disposed |
Bolton Combined Court Centre (County Part Only) | County part only | 09/06/2017 | Building retained as Bolton Law Courts |
Bolton Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/11/2017 | Disposed |
Bournemouth Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 27/01/2017 | Disposed |
Bow County Court | County/Family | 30/06/2017 | Disposed |
Bury Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 09/06/2017 | Disposed |
Caernarfon Civil and Family Court | County/Family | 18/08/2017 | Disposed |
Chichester Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 02/06/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
Dover Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 26/05/2017 | Disposed |
Eastbourne Magistrates' & County Court | Magistrates/Family | 29/09/2017 | Disposed |
Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 31/12/2017 | Disposed |
Hartlepool Magistrates' & County Court | Combined/Family | 30/01/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
Holyhead Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 28/04/2017 | Disposed |
Kendal Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 30/06/2017 | Disposed |
Kettering County Court | County | 07/07/2017 | Disposed |
Lambeth County Court | County/Family | 22/12/2017 | Disposed |
Lancaster County Court | County/Family | 01/12/2017 | Disposed |
Llangefni Civil and Family Court | County/Family | 18/08/2017 | Disposed |
Oldham County Court | County/Family | 14/07/2017 | Disposed |
Redhill Magistrates' & Reigate County Court | Combined | 31/03/2017 | Disposed |
Runcorn (Halton) Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 13/01/2017 | Disposed |
Scunthorpe Magistrates' & County Court | Combined | 13/01/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
St Albans Crown & County Court (County Part Only) | County part only | 28/07/2017 | Building retained as St Albans Crown Court |
Stafford Magistrates' Court | Magistrate/Family | 28/04/2017 | Disposed |
Telford County Court | County/Family | 29/09/2017 | Currently being used as a temporary Nightingale Court |
Torquay Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 01/09/2017 | Awaiting disposal |
Tottenham Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 10/02/2017 | Disposed |
Warrington Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 13/01/2017 | Disposed |
Watford Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 28/07/2017 | Disposed |
Woolwich County Court | County/Family | 30/06/2017 | Disposed |
2018 | |||
Birmingham Magistrates' Youth Court | Magistrate/Youth | 31/01/2018 | Disposed |
Chichester Combined Court | Combined | 28/12/2018 | Awaiting disposal |
Chippenham Magistrates' & Civil Court | Combined/Family | 27/07/2018 | Disposed |
Maidenhead Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 31/12/2018 | Awaiting disposal |
Sunderland County Court | County/Family | 07/09/2018 | Awaiting disposal |
2019 | |||
Banbury Magistrates’ and County Court | Combined | 31/03/2019 | Disposed |
Blackfriars Crown Court | Crown | 20/12/2019 | Disposed |
Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 31/01/2020 | Disposed |
Chorley Magistrates’ Court | Magistrate | 29/03/2019 | Awaiting disposal |
Colchester County Court | County/Family | 30/04/2019 | Disposed |
Fleetwood Magistrates’ Court (currently sitting as a Family Hearing Centre) | Magistrate/Family | 26/04/2019 | Currently being used as a temporary Nightingale Court |
Harlow Magistrates' Court | Magistrate | 30/04/2019 | Awaiting disposal |
Northallerton Magistrates' Court | Magistrate/Family | 30/04/2019 | Disposed |
Shrewsbury Crown Court | Crown | 08/03/2019 | Disposed |
Southend County Court | County/Family | 06/09/2019 | Disposed |
Disposed = The property has either been sold, or our tenancy has ended. The property is no longer part of the HMCTS estate.
Awaiting disposal = The property is closed and disposal is pending.
Ensuring that we can operate safely during the Covid-19 pandemic is our top priority. We have put in place measures in our court rooms so that they can hold Covid-19 secure trials, moved to virtual hearings where possible and opened additional court rooms in Nightingale courts as part of a package to increase available capacity.
We have now opened Nightingale courts at 21 locations, including the use of former court buildings, bringing the total number of temporary court rooms set up nationwide to 40. These additional temporary courtrooms have allowed us to increase capacity, particularly for jury trials, in locations where there is an operational requirement and hold additional hearings within a safe environment.