Fife and Forth Valley Community Justice Authority has toughened its stance on planned court closures.
The CJA decided this week to formally oppose the Scottish Court Service’s (SCS) cost-cutting measures, which will see court business centralised.
Under the proposals, both Cupar and Alloa sheriff and justice of the peace courts would close.
A draft response, penned by Fife and Forth Valley CJA chief officer Anne Pinkman, stated: “Fife and Forth Valley CJA acknowledge the benefits in consolidating sheriff and jury business but are concerned about the impact this will have on all court users and staff.”
But during this week’s meeting of the CJA a multi-agency group including the council and police that works to reduce reoffending in Dunfermline, Fife councillor Dave Dempsey said the response did not go far enough.
He said the authority should simply say it does not agree with the plans to consolidate sheriff court business and should also say no to proposed changes to the High Court circuit.
Ms Pinkman said the consultation response would be changed to reflect the opinion of CJA members.
She said: “There are significant savings that SCS is required to make and this is clearly one of the drivers of this consultation. They have a very difficult situation to deal with from the budgeting process alone. The impact of these changes will be significant. That said, they are not going to be introduced tomorrow.”
She added there were “a lot of unknowns” in the proposals in relation to how SCS’s drastically reduced capital budget would be invested.
Mr Dempsey welcomed the amendment to the response, which brought it in line with Fife Council’s submission.
He said: “Councillors are absolutely as one on this. It cannot be in the interests of the public to increase the distance between communities and justice.”
Councillor Gavin Yates said: “I’m pleased that the CJA took the decision to formally lodge their opposition to these court closures.
“The closure of Cupar would be a retrograde step for criminal justice in Fife. Witnesses and victims of crime would have to travel further.
“We would also have police officers who are called as witnesses spending more time attending court instead of being out on the streets. This is being dressed up as an efficiency project but I think it is going to damage confidence in the criminal justice system. I think this is about cash.”
The SCS is to see its budget slashed by a fifth in 2014/15, compared to the budget for 2010/11.
Its capital budget is to shrink dramatically from £20.3 million to £4m in that timescale.
It is proposed that High Court sittings, in the first instance, should be heard at dedicated centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. The changes would be phased in over the period to March 2015.
The High Court currently sits periodically in a circuit of eight courts the sheriff courts at Dundee, Dunfermline, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Paisley, Perth, Dumbarton and Livingston as well as the three main city locations.
According to the SCS consultation document, High Court sittings could be held at a location other than Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen if the Lord Justice General or the Lord Advocate considered that to be in the interests of justice.
In Fife, it is the planned closure of Cupar Sheriff Court that has caused most concern.
The CJA said the shake-up of sheriff courts would cause “significant disadvantage” to vulnerable people.
It said those most likely to suffer as a result of court services being relocated included women with childcare responsibilities, children and young people involved in court proceedings, people with disabilities and those subject to drug testing and treatment orders.
arobertson@thecourier.co.uk