PROPOSALS to close Barnsley Magistrates’ Court two days a week could be a ’stepping stone’ to closing the court altogether, solicitors and former magistrates have warned.
The government is currently consulting on proposals to reduce the timetable at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court which would see criminal cases heard on only three days - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - rather than the current five-day timetable.
It will mean prisoners detained by police to appear in court on Mondays and Fridays will appear at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court instead of Barnsley.
Defence solicitor Alyson Goldsmith, partner at Fritchley Goldsmith, said she was very concerned about the proposals and feared for the long term future of the court and legal firms in the town.
Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle
