Confusion over court closure

A former magistrate has hit out at how the long-term closure of a court building in Central Lancashire has been handled.

The woman – who did not want to be named – was speaking after it emerged that the Leyland Family Hearing Centre, on Lancastergate, had shut its doors for major repairs.

She said the experience of her own son, who is involved in proceedings at the facility, suggested communication surrounding the closedown had been poor – and risked disadvantaging people in the family court system.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed last month that the hearing centre was one of three Lancashire courts that was set to be temporarily rehoused in an office block in Preston while their permanent bases underwent “essential” roof works.

At the time, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) declined to identify the other two facilities that were in line for an eventual move to the Marshall House building, on Ringway, for which planning permission had been sought from Preston City Council.

It also failed to mention that the Leyland court had already stopped operating – but the LDRS has now established that cases were last listed there on 13th July.

The ex-Justice of the Peace (JP) said her son visited the site more than six weeks later to hand-deliver important documents – only to find a sign on the door saying it was shut “until further notice”. It provided a phone number and advised attendees to “check any correspondence received from the court for further instructions”.

However, he had received no prior notice that the building had closed, in spite of having an imminent hearing scheduled for the centre.

While the wasted trip to submit papers was an inconvenience, it at least prompted him to investigate where his case would now be heard – but another individual who arrived at the venue at the same time was not so lucky, as his hearing appeared to have been listed that very day.

“This young guy came up the steps – all suited and booted – and said to my son, ‘Oh, I didn’t know where to go now.’ So he’ll be down as a no-show at his next court appearance.

“How many more people have missed their hearing, I wonder?

“It’s just not fair on those who have to appear in court, which is [something] most people get anxious about, even if it’s something trivial – it’s added stress that they don’t need.

“I was worried about that man all day and him not knowing where [he was supposed to be] and no doubt trying to get through on the phone to find out,” said the long-serving JP, who spent more than 25 years as a magistrate.

She told the LDRS the apparent confusion surrounding the closure added to her “despair” over the current state of the judicial system.

When approached by the LDRS, the MoJ refused to comment on the alternative arrangements that had been made for individuals who would otherwise have attended the Leyland Family Hearing Centre – nor how they had been notified. It also declined to comment more broadly on the former magistrate’s comments.

The department said last month regarding its proposal for Marshall House that it was “exploring options for temporary accommodation” in Lancashire to facilitate roof repairs at three existing locations, including Leyland.