AN MP has criticised the Government’s refusal to re-open a town’s Magistrates’ Court.

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham has branded Boris Johnson’s election promises to “level up the North” a failure, after refusing to open Hartlepool Magistrates.

Hartlepool’s magistrates court closed in 2017 after a public consultation with workloads being transferred to Teesside.

The Government has said that it is working with the Conservative-Independent run Hartlepool Council to find “alternative use for the former court property”.

The decision has been called irresponsible in light of the backlog of magistrate court cases – now at 400,000 – across England and Wales.

Mr Cunningham said: “Not only is their failure to re-open the Magistrates’ Court a failure of their “levelling up” agenda, but it’s deeply irresponsible in light of the backlog of court cases."

Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer said: " In the few weeks since my election I have been fighting hard to deliver good things like the £25 million Towns Fund deal, extra funding for Hartlepool College and restoring services like the custody suite.

"I am determined to keep working hard for all the people of Hartlepool and Mr Cunningham would do well to attend to his constituency instead of playing politics with mine."