New proposal for Keighley and Bingley court cases (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

New proposal for Keighley and Bingley court cases

7:50am Tuesday 3rd August 2010 in

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An MP believes a magistrates Court should become the hub of court work in the Aire Valley instead of being scrapped.

Skipton MP Julian Smith is opposing a proposal by the Ministry of Justice to close Skipton Magistrates’ Court and Skipton County Court.

Also for the chop is Keighley courts service which sits in Bingley.

He believes the Skipton courts could be used to deal with cases from the Bingley and Keighley area as well as Skipton and the Dales.

Justice bosses would want people in Craven to travel to Harrogate courts and people in Bingley to have their cases heard in Bradford.

To demonstrated the difficulty people would have getting from North Craven to Harrogate court house, Mr Smith travelled there by public transport.

He took the bus from Burton in Lonsdale at 7.10am, caught a train in Bentham, changed at Leeds and arrived in Harrogate more than three hours later – at a cost of £29.

The court opens at 10am.

He said: “I believe Skipton has a strong argument to be retained and to take on business from elsewhere, including further down the Aire Valley.

“It’s a good quality court house and well positioned to deal with the work.”

His intention in taking the journey was to demonstrate the difficulty witnesses, families and the accused would have in reaching Harrogate from Craven.

“It would be difficult to get to Harrogate for 10am if you were travelling from the towns and villages of the Dales and I believe this is one of the key reasons why Skipton’s courts should remain open,” he said.

“Over the next month I would urge everyone to have their say to the Ministry of Justice during the consultation on the proposals.”