COURT staff in Bradford will have to deal with all cases from Calderdale if a recommended programme of Government closures is approved.

In a consultation published yesterday by HM Courts & Tribunals Service, the future of a number of court and tribunal buildings labelled "underused and poor-quality" - including all court buildings in Halifax - is under threat.

All work from the Calderdale courts would be transferred to Bradford but unions warned the move could lead to "chaos".

Courts and Tribunals Minister, Shailesh Vara, said: "We are reforming the courts and tribunal service so that it meets the needs of modern day users.

"Access to justice is not just about attending court. As we bring in digital technology for better and more efficient access to justice, fewer people will need to physically be in a court.

"This means that we will need fewer buildings, and with many already underused and in poor-quality, now is a good time to review the estate."

In the consultation report, Calderdale Magistrates' Court and Halifax County and Family Court, both Grade-II listed buildings, are described as "sub-standard and out of date for staff, judiciary, and all court users", and "no longer fit for modern-day court business."

The seven court rooms at Calderdale Magistrates' Court were said to only utilised for 33 per cent of their capacity during the last financial year, with annual operating costs of approximately £380,000.

Bradford Magistrates' Court has ten courtrooms - with one not used and three others only used for half a day - and the report states "there is sufficient capacity to accommodate the hearings at Bradford from Halifax Magistrates' Court."

Work from Halifax County and Family Court - which was said to operate at 22 per cent of its capacity last year - would be transferred to the Bradford County Court, potentially saving £115,000 in operating costs.

A total of 33 staff work across the Calderdale court sites.

Katy Lomas, vice-chairman of Napo, a union which campaigns for probation and family court staff, described the proposals as a "huge disappointment".

"The closure of courts concerns us greatly, and we have experienced the chaos when closures have happened before," she said.

"Transferring operations from Halifax to Bradford will have a huge impact, just the massive increase in travel alone will be significant.

"This move would take localism out of the justice system."

Rebecca Allen, North and West Yorkshire secretary for the Public and Commercial Services union, said the branch would be meeting on August 4 to discuss the proposals.

"We are concerned about access to justice and the impact on court staff and users," she said.

"We have been told staff will have clear options put to them, but have no details as yet."

No-one at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court would comment on the plans.

The consultation will last for 12 weeks, ending on October 8.