Published at 12:41, Tuesday, 03 November 2015

A closure-threatened court building has been listed as an asset of community value.

The Government wants to close West Cumbria Magistrates’ and County Court in Workington as part of cost-cutting measures.

Closure would leave the county with just two magistrates’ courts – in Carlisle and Barrow – and campaigners say the impact of such a move would be significant. A consultation period ended early last month and a decision has yet to be announced.

Workington Town Council has now successfully had the Hall Brow building registered as an asset of community value, under the 2011 Localism Act.

This means that there must be a six-week notice period before the Ministry of Justice can sell the building on the open market. If a community bid comes forward, there is then a further six month moratorium for it to be developed.

The listing does not mean the community can buy it at a cheaper price or give access to additional funding. It does, however, give room for a funding plan to be put in place.

The council’s planning committee chairwoman Vonnie Morgan said: “We have to show pride in our town. This is one way to stop a cycle of decline in our public buildings and services.”

The closure proposal was published by Courts Minister Shailesh Vara in July. The Government says that 16 per cent of hearing rooms in England and Wales should be shut down because they are not used enough.

The proposals have run into fierce opposition from those who claim the justice system would fail if court cases were dealt with outside their community.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk