The Right Honourable Sir Oliver Heald QC MP Minister of State for Justice Robert Neill MP Chairman, Justice Committee House of Commons London SW1A 0AA 2 March 2017 Dear Bob, REQUEST FOR COURT CLOSURE FINANCE INFORMATION Thank you for your letter of 9 February 2017. I am grateful to you and the committee for considering your view on the employment tribunal consultation and I note your recommendation as set out in your report on court and tribunal fees. In your letter you asked that the committee be provided with financial information in relation to courts closed between 2010 and 2016. I am pleased to enclose the requested information with this letter. I trust this is of assistance to the committee. SIR OLIVER HEALD QC MP T 020 3334 3555 F 0870 761 7753 E general.queries@justice.gsi.gov.uk www.gov.uk/moj 102 Petty France London SW1H 9AJ
Justice Committee request for information February 2017 Question 1 For each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16 Which courts were closed in that year How much in total during that year was: o Saved in resource expenditure o Received in sales of former court buildings following court closures Caveats & Assumptions: In providing an answer to these questions, please note that: The sales proceeds received in a particular year is not always linked to the courts closed in that very year as it could relate to historic sales. The figures provided for annual savings in resource expenditure include the courts that closed within that year. These figures do not include paybill, staff costs, judicial costs or IT & telecoms. Figures will also only show a percentage of annual savings as courts will have closed part way through the year. Answer Question 1: Information pertaining to breakdown of information for each financial year is provided below. s closed during 2010-2011 financial year Wantage Magistrates Total amount saved in resource expenditure in financial year 2010 2011 7,100 Financial year 2010 2011 = 2.2m (NB: This includes proceeds from closed courts in prior years) s closed during 2011 2012 financial year Aberdare County Aberdare Magistrates Abertillery Magistrates Acton Magistrates Alnwick Magistrates (FPC) Amersham Magistrates Ammanford Magistrates Ashford County s closed during 2011 2012 financial year (continued) Ashford Magistrates Balham Youth Barking & Dagenham Magistrates Barry Magistrates 2
Batley & Dewsbury Magistrates (FPC) Bingley (Keighley) Magistrates Bishop Auckland County Bishop Auckland Magistrates Blandford Forum Magistrates Blaydon Magistrates Brentford Magistrates Bridgwater Magistrates Camborne Magistrates Cardigan Magistrates Cheltenham County Chepstow County Chepstow Magistrates Chorley County Cirencester Magistrates Coalville Magistrates Coleford Magistrates Consett County Cromer Magistrates Daventry Magistrates Dewsbury County Didcot Magistrates Ely Magistrates Epping Magistrates Epsom County Epsom Magistrates Evesham County Flint Magistrates Frome Magistrates Goole County Goole Magistrates Gosforth Magistrates Grantham County Gravesend County Grays Magistrates Guisborough (East Langbaurgh) Magistrates Halesowen Magistrates Harlow County Harrow Magistrates Haywards Heath County Hemel Hempstead Magistrates Hitchin County Honiton Magistrates Houghton-Le-Spring Magistrates Huntingdon County Ilford County Ilkeston Magistrates Keighley County Kidderminster County Kingston-upon-Thames Magistrates Knowsley Magistrates Lewes Magistrates Liskeard Magistrates s closed during 2011 2012 financial year (continued) Llandovery Magistrates Llangefni Magistrates Llwynypia Magistrates Lowestoft County (FPC) Ludlow County Ludlow Magistrates 3
Lyndhurst Magistrates Market Drayton Magistrates Market Harborough Magistrates Melton Mowbray County Melton Mowbray Magistrates Mid-Sussex (Haywards Heath) Magistrates Newark County Newark Magistrates (FPC) Newbury County Northwich County (same building as Mags) Northwich Magistrates (FPC) (same as Cty) Oswestry County Oswestry Magistrates Penrith County (same building as Mags) Penrith Magistrates (same building a Cty) Penzance County Penzance Magistrates Pontypool County Poole County Pwllheli Magistrates Rawtenstall County Rawtenstall Magistrates Redditch County Retford Magistrates Rochdale Magistrates (FPC) Rugby County Rugby Magistrates Runcorn County Rutland Magistrates Salford County Salford Magistrates (FPC) Shrewsbury County Sittingbourne Magistrates Skegness County Southport (North Sefton) Magistrates Southport County Stourbridge County Stratford Upon Avon County Sudbury Magistrates Sutton Coldfield Magistrates Sutton Magistrates Swaffham Magistrates Tamworth County Tamworth Magistrates Thetford Magistrates Totnes Magistrates Towcester Magistrates Tynedale (Hexham) Magistrates (FPC) Wellingborough County West Bromwich Magistrates Whitehaven County s closed during 2011 2012 financial year (continued) Whitehaven Magistrates Wimborne Magistrates Wisbech Magistrates Witney Magistrates Woking Magistrates Woolwich Magistrates Worksop County 4
Total amount saved in resource expenditure in financial year 2011 2012 3,065,103 Financial year 2011 2012 = 44.7m (NB: This includes proceeds from closed courts in prior years) s closed during year 2012-2013 financial year Burton Upon Trent County Haringey Magistrates Pontefract County Pontefract Magistrates (FPC) Stoke on Trent Magistrates Selby Magistrates Trowbridge County Total amount saved in resource expenditure in financial year 2012 2013 122,619 Financial year 2012 2013 = 35.3m (NB: This includes proceeds from closed courts in prior years) s closed during 2013-2014 financial year Andover Magistrates Denbigh Magistrates North Liverpool Community Justice Centre Tower Bridge Magistrates Total amount saved in resource expenditure in financial year 2013 2014 36,325 Financial year 2013 2014 = 18.8m (NB: This includes proceeds from closed courts in prior years) s closed during 2014-15 financial year Bracknell Magistrates Knutsford Crown Neath Magistrates Spalding Magistrates Total amount saved in resource expenditure in financial year 2014 2015 8,998 Financial year 2014 2015 = 16.4m (NB: This includes proceeds from closed courts in prior years) 5
s closed during 2015-2016 financial year Abergavenny Magistrates Aldershot and Farnham County Bury St Edmunds Government Buildings Bury St Edmunds Tribunal Cambridge Eastbrook House Cambridge Tribunal Chesterfield County Epsom Tribunal Harrogate County Hereford County Quayside House Newcastle Tribunal Quern House Cambridge Tribunal Richmond Upon Thames Magistrates The Crescent Centre Bristol Tribunal Waltham Forest Magistrates Total amount saved in resource expenditure in financial year 2015 2016 2,071,779 Financial year 2015 2016 = 7.2m (NB: This includes proceeds from closed courts in prior years) Note - Resource expendenditure saved from courts that closed in financial years 2010 2016 The resource expenditure saving following all closures up to 31 March 2016 provide annual savings of 17.27m. Question 2 buildings closed during the period 2010 2016 that remain unsold and in respect to each of them, the date on which they were closed and the amount spent in total on maintaining the premises after closure: Answer question 2 name Abergavenny Magistrates Date Closed (From FY 10-11 to FY 15-16) Total spend on maintenance after closure (to nearest 100) Status 31 October 2013 34,200 Marketing Alton Magistrates ' 12 September 2014 31,900 Marketing Caerphilly Magistrates 31 March 2016 16,400 Marketing Chester-le-street 30 March 2016 15,500 Marketing Magistrates Cirencester Magistrates' 1 April 2011 47,100 Marketing/negotiating Doncaster County 31 March 2016 29,700 HCA negotiations 6
Keighley Magistrates' 16 December 64,000 HCA negotiations (Bingley) 2011 Liverpool Magistrates 3 June 2015 91,000 Marketing (Dale Street) Lyndhurst Magistrates' 1 April 2011 94,400 Marketing Oswestry Magistrates' 7 October 2011 40,000 Marketing / County Richmond Upon Thames 18 March 2016 Nil Marketing Magistrates Solihull Magistrates 31 March 2016 36,000 Marketing Towcester Magistrates' 1 April 2011 22,500 Marketing Waltham Forest Magistrates 30 March 2016 34,400 Marketing The list above includes freehold properties only. Total spend on maintaining premises after closure, includes a forecast for the period January March 2017. 7