Scottish Government Court Cuts Could Push highlands And Islands Courts To The Brink

7th January 2014

This stark warning has been issued by North Scottish Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant ahead of planned court closures across the region. Mrs Grant, who campaigned vigorously against the closures last year as part of the Scottish Labour Party's 'Keep Justice Local' campaign is concerned that as the court closures take hold, the increases in business will stretch court capacity to its limits.

Dornoch Sheriff Court which closed its doors for the final time in November of last year has transferred its business to Tain, which following the planned closure of Dingwall Sheriff Court in January 2015, will remain the only surviving sheriff court in Ross-shire.

The planned closure of Dingwall Sheriff Court will see business being transferred to Inverness Sheriff Court. Other courts across the region have already or are in the process of moving towards closure including Rothesay (sheriff court only) - with business going to Greenock, and Justice of the Peace Courts in Portree, Stornoway and Wick - with business going to the local sheriff courts.

The decision to go ahead with closures has been branded as 'Moronic' by legal expert David Hingston who worked as both an area procurator fiscal and currently as criminal lawyer in the Highlands who claims "Inverness Sheriff Court cannot cope as it is, full stop. It is already having to put off trials because there is neither the time nor the staff."

Mrs Grant said"Only now are these courts starting to close and pressure is already mounting on the remaining courts. This situation will only get worse as we approach the closure on Dingwall Sheriff Court next January. These cuts from the Scottish Government are pushing courts across the Highland and Islands to the brink.

"My major concern now is in regard to the increasing pressure on court time. Many of these closures have or will force courts into finding time to deal with both civil and criminal proceedings at both Sheriff and JP level, cramming more business into unsuitable and already crowded courts such as Inverness.

2These cuts are yet to take hold; however I do have real concerns over what will happen when Ross-Shire is left with one Sheriff Court and Inverness, which is already operating under pressure, will have to take on increasing levels of business from Dingwall and the surrounding area. It is time to consider how this will be managed and if it is suitable for Inverness at its current location to handle these changes."