Published on:
26
November 2012
The Council Leader has hit out against a plan to close Alloa Sheriff Court and is asking the people of Clackmannanshire to give us their views on the proposal.
The Scottish Court Service (SCS) is consulting on plans to close the Alloa court and move business to Stirling and Falkirk. It is part of a nationwide restructuring of the service, which includes closing 11 sheriff courts, due to reduced budgets, law reforms and a modernisation of the system.
Council Leader Gary Womersley said: "It is absolutely vital that this service remains in Alloa to serve the people of Clackmannanshire. The closure of the Alloa court would mean witnesses and their families having to travel to Stirling or Falkirk with the associated extra cost and inconvenience. It would also have implications for local solicitors and Council staff who attend court such as lawyers and social workers and other staff who attend court such as police officers.
"Our court social workers often attend at Alloa Sheriff Court at short notice and have in depth knowledge of local circumstances, needs and vulnerable groups such as young offenders and those with health issues.
"The role of local courts in delivering justice and providing access to justice is valued by communities and a community the size of Clackmannanshire needs a local court."
The campaign is supported by the Society of Solicitors of Clackmannanshire, the local law faculty. Jim Savage, representative for Clackmannanshire Solicitors, said: "It is local Solicitors' view that this idea is ill conceived and the consequences have not been fully thought through. Alloa is a very busy court and only recently the Scottish Court Service spent over £3million to expand the court facilities to meet local needs."
In order to gather wider public opinion on the matter, a online consultation has been established on ClacksWeb which can be accessed at www.clacksweb.org.uk/council/alloacourtconsultation/
The Council's formal response to the SCS's consultation will come before the Council meeting on 20 December and will incorporate the responses received via the online consultation.
The Council's Criminal Justice Service were responsible for handling 743 requests for reports, 400 community supervision orders, and 466 requests for bail information from Alloa Sheriff Court in 2011-12.