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'.
Published
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.
