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Apr 2022

Last Updated: 08/04/2022

Community

Unfair to move Skipton Magistrate cases to Harrogate, says solicitor

by Calvin Robinson

| 09 Apr, 2022

Keith Blackwell, of Blackwell Solicitors, says Harrogate Magistrates Court has been left as "piggy in the middle" as takes on more local cases from other areas.

Harrogate Magistrates Court, Victoria Avenue.

Harrogate Magistrates Court has been left as “piggy in the middle” as more cases are being transferred from Skipton, says a solicitor.

Keith Blackwell, of Blackwell Solicitors in Keighley, said that the magistrates in Skipton is being “bled dry” due to fewer hearings being held.

The Skipton court used to sit three times a week, but now cases, such as youth hearings, are being sent to Harrogate or York.

Mr Blackwell, who often travels to Harrogate for cases twice a week, said important hearing such as pre-sentence reports and trials were also being held in Harrogate over Skipton.

He said the frequency of cases being moved is unfair on those defendants and their families who are poor and have to travel long distances.

Mr Blackwell, who has been practising as solicitor since 1975, said:

“It is just not fair.

“The people who make these decisions are all driving in limousines. We are supposed to be levelling up.

“Harrogate has been left as piggy in the middle in all this.”

After being threatened with closure in 2001 and 2010, Skipton Magistrates' Court has not had any scheduled trial time since a review earlier in the pandemic - with not guilty cases reportedly being sent to Harrogate, York and as far as Scarborough.

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Back in 2010, the axe fell on nine of Yorkshire's courthouses, but Skipton Magistrates’ Court was spared after a campaign backed by Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith and the local branch of the Magistrates Association.

The closures were part of national plans to shut 103 magistrates and 54 county courts across the country in a move which was estimated to save almost £37 million in maintenance and running costs.

In a statement, the HM Courts & Tribunals Service said the recent changes at Skipton Magistrates' Court were introduced to ensure cases could be heard "safely and with minimum delay" during the pandemic.

It said no decision has been taken to permanently remove criminal trials from Skipton and that "special arrangements" can be made to hear trials locally.

A spokesperson for the HM Courts & Tribunals Service said:

“While listing is a judicial function, the pandemic forced some cases to be moved to ensure cases could be heard safely and with minimum delay.

“Skipton Law Courts continue to hear civil and family cases and special arrangements can be made to hear cases locally.

"Although there is presently no scheduled trial time in Skipton, in individual cases travel distance can be considered when the case is listed and special arrangements can be made to hear cases locally."

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Unfair to move Skipton Magistrate cases to Harrogate, says solicitor

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