MP Criticises Proposals to Merge Local Justice Areas Covering Welsh Court Services

Proposals to alter the way court services in North Wales could be delivered have been resisted by Wrexham MP Ian Lucas.

The proposals to merge local justice areas were set out in a consultation by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which was opened in late June and closed earlier this month.

Previous bids to merge local justice areas have drawn criticism from magistrates, solicitors and from Mr Lucas, who has raised the issue with Ministers in Parliament several times.

Under the latest proposals, a series of options are set out, with possible changes including mergers between local justice areas in North, Mid and South Wales, and a series of mergers which could see three, two or just one local justice area covering the whole of Wales.

In his submission, Mr Lucas has heavily criticised the process. He notes: “The Consultation proceeds on the premise that the amount of work in the Courts is falling. This may be true but it reflects Government policy to use non-Court methods of disposal, such as cautions and other failures to prosecute.

“Emphatically, it does not reflect the perception of my constituents which is that the public order and criminal activity situation in Wrexham, and especially in the town centre of Wrexham, is deteriorating markedly. The public believe that the criminal justice process is failing to deal with offenders and that criminal offences are not being treated seriously enough.

“These proposals to move criminal process further away from a local justice model will compound increasing public dissatisfaction with the criminal process still further and diminish further public confidence in the criminal justice system.”

Speaking today, Mr Lucas said: “The Ministry of Justice keep putting forward merger proposals. That they keep on doing so suggests to me that the previous proposals were flawed. I am not sure why court users should have confidence that the latest proposals will settle the matter – and I have made that clear in my response.”