Member of Parliament for Macclesfield, David Rutley, is working with Macclesfield Town Council and Cheshire East Council, to support the establishment of a Macclesfield Justice Centre, in response to the Government’s consultation on the provision of Courts and Tribunals estate in England and Wales.
A proposal is being submitted to the consultation, which would see Macclesfield Magistrates and County Courts combined, in order to continue to provide access to the judicial system locally, while still making savings for the taxpayer.
The Government is in the process of carrying out a wide ranging consultation, within which the Ministry of Justice has proposed that both the County and Magistrates Courts in Macclesfield should be closed. However, in response, work carried out with David’s support, by the South & East Cheshire Magistrates, and Cheshire East Council officers, has set out how similar cost savings to those estimated by the Ministry of Justice can be achieved by combining the two courts in Macclesfield, as opposed to closing both.
The local response has set out how it will meet objectives in three key areas: value for money, access to justice and long term efficiency. Clear cost saving projections have been laid out, as has a vision that seeks to ensure that there is more local access to justice with shorter journey times than those proposed in the consultation. Efficiency will be enabled by ensuring that court occupancy and capacity is high, and retaining a local, multi-purpose modern building in Macclesfield.
Speaking about his support of the local response, David said, “Although I support the Government’s objectives at a national level, which are set out in the consultation, I have written to the Ministry of Justice to highlight the clear benefits of having a Macclesfield Justice Centre. I believe that a strong case is being submitted, and hope that the response is given the most serious consideration that it deserves. I will be speaking to Government Ministers about the response in the days ahead.”