With just a week to go until 800 years of history ends with the official closure of Cupar Sheriff Court, fresh concerns have been raised by Fife Council that there will be a negative impact on those who have to attend court and the serving of justice.
The biggest area of concern relates to additional travel distances and costs associated with people having to travel to court from North East Fife to Dundee.
It has also been predicted that performance figures will dip in relation to the speed and immediacy targets which are expected to be met by Fife Council’s Criminal Justice Service.
In a report to the North East Area Committee, property services lead officer Sharon Ward said: “While work is under way to mitigate the potential negative impacts of the closure … it will impact on those who have to attend court, particularly those who have to access services and attend court at short notice.
“This will adversely impact on the speed and immediacy by which people are dealt with in the justice system. It may lead to an increase in the number attending court and may increase the occasions on which remand is imposed by sheriffs.
“It will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Fife Council Criminal Justice Service to fully comply with the principles of speed and immediacy post-sentence if the community sentence is imposed in Dundee and the service user lives in Fife.”
The council officer said the groups identified as being most likely to be disadvantaged and vulnerable due to the closure are women, particularly those giving evidence in domestic or sexual abuses cases; young people who may be subject to court proceedings; people with disabilities who are attending court for any purpose and people with substance addictions.
There has been widespread criticism from within the North East Fife legal fraternity and business community over the Scottish Government-backed Scottish Courts Service (SCS) decision taken last year to close Cupar Sheriff Court as part of a national cost cutting and efficiency review.
The SCS estates manager has recently offered to transfer the entire accommodation held by them back to the council at nil consideration.
The SCS have asked to lease back a wing on the first floor of Cupar County Buildings currently used as witness waiting rooms and office accommodation for the procurator fiscal to be converted into a videography suite for vulnerable witnesses whose evidence can be presented via video link to the sheriff court in Dundee.
It has been agreed that the occupation of this wing will be secured under a 25-year lease at an annual rent and service charge amounting to 3% of the occupational operating costs attributed to County Buildings.
Tay Bridgehead Fife councillor Tim Brett said it should be remembered that the impact of the court closure would be felt across a range of services not just social work.
He added: “There’s police, solicitors and people should be aware of that.”
Committee chairwoman Frances Melville said: “Everyone saw the problems coming down the line but to no avail.”
Cupar Lib Dem councillor Margaret Kennedy said there was a “huge potential impact” on those affected.
She hoped that artefacts from the court’s 800-year history would be preserved.
Cupar SNP councillor Karen Marjoram said that “if there was a positive” from the closure then it was that vulnerable witnesses would potentially not have to travel from Cupar when giving evidence to Dundee.