Letter confirms closure of courts (From Gazette & Herald)

Letter confirms closure of courts

THE closure of three North Yorkshire courthouses will mean another loss of rural services, local councillors have warned.

North Yorkshire County Council was reacting after receiving written confirmation that its appeal against the closure of courthouses in Pickering, Richmond and Whitby had been dismissed.

The decision means that there will now only be courthouses in Selby, Scarborough, Harrogate, Northallerton and Skipton, as well as those in York.

County Coun Carl Les, executive member with responsibility for corporate affairs, said: "This is another case of services being withdrawn from rural areas, and local views being ignored. The county council's appeal was well-founded and widely supported. We will continue to fight for local services for local people.

"We strongly believe that victims, witnesses and members of the public in North Yorkshire should be able to see local justice being administered locally. A centralised service may be cheaper to run, but it places extra costs on local people, especially victims and witnesses, who may have to spend much more time travelling to court."

Updated: 11:32 Friday, October 24, 2003