THIRSK MP Kevin Hollinrake has expressed his concerns in Parliament over closure plans for Northallerton Magistrates’ Court and has sought assurances from the Ministry of Justice.

Mr Hollinrake believes that closing Northallerton’s court could lead to serious access problems for rural residents and he raised the matter at a Westminster Hall debate this week.

He said: “I have a number of concerns.

“The average age of my constituents is older than constituents living in urban areas.

“This coupled with limited public transport means that we have far more bus passes than we have busses.

“If Northallerton was to close, it would increase journey times significantly.

“A journey from Rosedale to York, for instance, requires three different busses and takes four hours.

“As some magistrates have suggested, some defendants are vulnerable and suffer from mental health issues so closing the magistrates’ court at Northallerton could make it more difficult for these people to access justice.

“This would be wrong.”

Mr Hollinrake also pointed out the effect on police time and said: “I have discussed this with the Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan.

“Already closing custody suites in Northallerton means the police have to drive to Harrogate, which takes at least an hour.

“We are at risk of creating a false economy by transferring costs from one budget to another, that is to say from the Ministry of Justice to the Police.

“There’s also the journey times for witnesses and magistrates.

“Fewer prosecutions would be brought forward if witnesses are unable to attend and we must not make it less attractive for magistrates who would have to travel miles from their homes.”

Mr Hollinrake met with the Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Lucy Frazer QC MP, to seek assurances these considerations would be taken into account.

He has suggested that technology might offer a solution, although it must be evaluated to ensure that it delivers suitable access to justice in rural areas.

Mr Hollinrake said the Ministry of Justice is happy to pursue options for a video end-point in Northallerton to ensure that local people can appear in other courts by video where appropriate.