A study is being planned which could see more courts shut in Fife, the chief executive of the Scottish Courts Service has revealed.
Eric McQueen told the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee the service would have to look at shutting more courts where so-called justice centres are created and the Kingdom has been confirmed as being on the list of targeted areas.
Ten sheriff courts, including Cupar, Arbroath and Stonehaven, have already been marked for closure, alongside 16 Justice of the Peace courts, after Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill backed court service recommendations.
Justice centres where a range of services, including courts, police and social work would be housed under one roof are being looked at in the Borders, Fife, the Highlands and Lanarkshire.
Following questions from Scottish Conservative MSP John Lamont, Mr McQueen said studies in relation to these centres would consider the closure of more courts in those areas.
Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife said: “The news that Scotland could be set for even more court closures beyond those already announced will come as a bombshell for rural communities right across the country.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr McQueen said: “From the start of the Scottish Court Service consultation on future court structures, we have been clear that justice centres are an integral part of our longer term vision.
“In our consultation response, we identified the Borders, Fife, Lanarkshire and Highland as areas that would complement the existing high quality courts we already have in many of Scotland’s cities.”
He added: “Our current recommendations before the Scottish Parliament are…designed to deliver essential change that will allow us to continue to improve services to court users by investing in a smaller number of buildings.”
Labour’s Shadow justice secretary, Lewis Macdonald, said: “Regional justice centres are being proposed as a way of trying to satisfy SNP MSPs who are now being forced to support closures which they had previously opposed.
“To find out that these are going to mean more court closures is a tragic irony.”
The committee also heard £100,000 has been set aside to upgrade Forfar Sheriff Court in the event of the proposed Arbroath closure going ahead.