Sandwell court closure plan defies logic, says MP
Plans to close a magistrates court have come under fire by an MP who branded them 'completely illogical'.
Tom Watson, one of the candidates for Labour's deputy leader, said proposals to shut Sandwell Magistrates' Court, leaving the borough the only part of the Black Country without one, made no sense.
The Ministry of Justice said it was one in 14 courts in the Midlands which could be axed to save money.
In 2014/15 the Oldbury Ringway-based court house cost £407,000 to run, but was only used to 47 per cent of its total capacity.
Sandwell's workload would transfer to Walsall Magistrates' Court and more than 21 jobs would be affected by the closure.
Mr Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, said: "These plans are completely illogical. We've gone full circle from a new court being proposed on Spon Lane in West Bromwich - which the government axed in the last Parliament - to a proposal to close the only court in Sandwell.
"The Government state that Sandwell Magistrates' Court is underutilised, yet at the same time work is being transferred to other courts. More cases could be referred to Sandwell but the government seem intent on implementing a policy to ensure its decline."
Mr Watson also hit out at the government's lack of joined-up thinking with the Home Office and West Midlands Police over the proposed closure.
He added: "A new custody suite has been opened by West Midlands Police less than a mile away from the court to house detainees and now the government wants to close the nearby court. You really couldn't make this up."
The government's consultation will run until October 8 and a final decision on the future of the court is expected soon thereafter.
Stafford's magistrates' court is also threatened with closure.
The MoJ says in 2014/15 the Stafford court house cost a total of £213,000 to run but was only used to around 16 per cent of its total capacity.
Cases will be transferred to the Stafford Combined Court building and Walsall Magistrates Court.
The move comes following the closures of Halesowen and West Bromwich magistrates courts, Stourbridge County Court and Dudley County Court at Brierley Hill's Waterfront in 2011 as part of a £41m cost-cutting exercise.
