AN initiative has been launched to speed up the justice process in magistrates' courts.

The County of Durham Magistrates' Courts Committee has created a new post to help identify delays in the court system and reduce waiting times.

Vivienne Harbron, a listings officer at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court, has been appointed to the position.

She will work closely with court officials and partner agencies, including the police and Crown Prosecution Service, throughout the county.

She will also be working with data about cases, and watching the courts at work.

Royston Dent, deputy chief executive of the Magistrates' Courts Committee, said: "We have been given the money by the Lord Chancellor's Department and have decided to use it to create the new post.

"This is a positive move by the magistrates' courts committee, aimed at delivering an improved quality of service in the county.

"It is essential that any weaknesses in the system are identified and corrected."

The initiative will examine all areas of the courts' work but will focus particularly on the length of time taken to deal with persistent young offenders.

This is one of the Government's priorities, and courts throughout the country are being encouraged to overhaul the way they deal with cases.

Mr Dent said there were many reasons why cases were delayed, ranging from ineffective working practices in court to problems with solicitors' papers.

He said: "The idea of this post is that the person will really get involved in the nitty gritty of everyday life at court, and will be able to see at first hand what the problems are.

"Delays differ from area to area, but we all know there are cases which are taking far too long to go through court.

"We hope this new post will make a huge difference, and ultimately speed up the whole process."

The new post, which will come into force on Friday, is part of an ongoing process to improve services.

Last October the courts committee was praised by HM Magistrates' Courts Service Inspectorate for its work to streamline organisation and administration