Proposal on the Provision of Courts Services in Cheshire and Merseyside

Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

Consultation Paper CP03/10 Published on 23 June 2010 This consultation will end on 15 September 2010

Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

A consultation produced by Her Majesty's Courts Service, part of the Ministry of Justice. It is also available on the Ministry of Justice website at www.justice.gov.uk

Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

Contents

The HMCS national estates strategy 3 Introduction 5 Magistrates’ courts in Merseyside 7 Magistrates’ courts in Cheshire 15 County courts in Cheshire and Merseyside 20 Annex A – Map of proposals 27 Questionnaire 29 About you 32 Contact details/How to respond 33 The consultation criteria 35 Consultation Co-ordinator contact details 36

1 Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

2 Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

The HMCS national estates strategy

HMCS is committed to providing a high quality courts service within a reasonable travelling distance of the communities that use it, while ensuring value for money for taxpayers.

HMCS currently operates out of 530 courthouses – 330 magistrates’ courts, 219 county courts and 91 Crown Court centres. 1 However, the number and location of these does not reflect changes in population, workload or transport and communication links over the years since many of them were opened. This has resulted in some courts sitting infrequently and hearing too few cases. Some buildings do not provide suitable facilities for those attending or are not fully accessible for disabled court users. A number of magistrates’ courts do not have secure facilities for prisoners. Other agencies with whom we work across the justice system are also put under strain by the need to work at a number of different courts in the same area, some of which are in close proximity to each other.

When public finances are under pressure, it is vital we eliminate waste and reduce costs. This consultation sets out how we believe we can best meet the justice needs of communities in each area and invites comments on whether work from the courts we propose to close could be moved to nearby courts which have sufficient capacity and, in the majority of cases, better facilities. By using these courts more efficiently we hope to save public money while also improving the services we provide for court users.

We are also consulting on the merger of a number of Local Justice Areas which would enable effective changes to courthouse provision. This will facilitate further efficiency savings in administrative work, whilst ensuring that magistrates continue to provide a vital frontline service to the public.

In order to form the proposals in this document the following principles have been followed: improve utilisation to at least 80%; provide greater flexibility through co-location of criminal courts and civil courts with tribunal hearing centres; plan on a long term basis; integrate developing policy and operational changes into estates planning; ensure access to courts – enabling the majority of the public to be within a 60 minute commute of their nearest court by public transport; 2

1 A number of courts are co-located or in combined centres. 2 With consideration given to those who live in rural communities.

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ensure the estate supports the challenges of rural access; wherever possible centralise back office functions; have specialist facilities in large strategic locations only; move towards larger courts; maintain properties at an appropriate level; and share facilities with the Tribunal Service.

Court users should not have to make excessively long or difficult journeys to attend court, but geographical proximity for all court users should not be the sole (or even primary) concern. Providing people with appropriate access to justice does not necessarily mean providing a courthouse in every town or city. The speed of case outcome, the quality and efficiency of the service we provide, and an environment which commands respect for the justice system and the safety and comfort of court users, are much more significant to the delivery of effective local justice across all communities in England and Wales.

We need to ensure that local communities, including those in rural areas, have access to a court and we seek views on this. At the same time we must be realistic about the frequency with which most people need to visit a court, compared to other services which they use and travel to more regularly such as banks, schools, supermarkets or hospitals.

We need to consider the required courts estate in the context of the falling workload which is being dealt with in a more efficient and timely way as a result of close partnership working between HMCS and the judiciary. At the same time, we have been careful to ensure that there remains sufficient capacity within the remaining courts to accommodate any future increases in workload.

This consultation will take account of all of these factors plus any additional relevant considerations which are put forward during the consultation period.

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Introduction

This paper announces proposals that will enable HMCS in Cheshire and Merseyside to provide vital public services whilst reducing the cost for the taxpayer.

Feedback to the questions set out in the consultations will enable us to ensure that courts remain in the most important strategic locations, that communities continue to have access to courts within a reasonable travelling distance, and that cases are heard in courts with suitable facilities which will in turn reduce the overall costs. At the same time, we have been careful to ensure that there would be sufficient capacity within the remaining magistrates’ courts should there be a decision to increase their sentencing powers in the future.

The consultation seeks the views of everyone with an interest in local justice arrangements. The Lord Chancellor will take all views expressed into account before making any decision on which courts ought to be closed and when.

This consultation is being conducted in line with the Code of Practice on Consultation issued by the Cabinet Office and falls within the scope of the Code. The consultation criteria, which are set out on page 35 have been followed.

A preliminary Impact Assessment and Equality Impact Assessment initial screening have been completed, which will be developed during the consultation period. A copy of the initial Impact Assessment, the initial screening for an Equality Impact Assessment and the Rural Proofing checklist is available at www.justice.gov.uk.

Copies of the consultation paper are being sent to: Local MPs; Local Constabulary; Crown Prosecution Service – Chief Crown Prosecutor; Director of Offender Management; Civil Court Users Association; District and County Councils and Local Authorities; Local Courts Board; Local Criminal Justice Boards; Judicial Issues Group; Local Bench Chairs; Criminal Defence Service;

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Law Society; Bar Council; Local legal practitioners; Senior Presiding Judge; Presiding Judge; Senior District Judge Association of HM District Judges; District Judge (Magistrates’ Court); The Chief Magistrate; Magistrates’ Association; National Bench Chairs Forum; Justices’ Clerks’ Society; Lord Lieutenant; High Sheriff; Witness Care; Victim Support; Youth Offending Teams; Prison Escort and Custody Service; The Coroners Service; and Trades Unions (PCS, FDA and Prospect).

This list is not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive and responses are welcomed from anyone with an interest in or views on the subject covered by this paper.

This consultation is also available at www.justice.gov.uk.

A map of proposals set out in this consultation paper is available at Annex A.

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Magistrates’ courts in Merseyside

The need for change HMCS currently operates magistrates’ courts in Liverpool, Wirral, North Sefton (Southport), South Sefton (Bootle), St Helens and Knowsley.

It also operates the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre, which sits five days per week as a Magistrates’ Court and once per month as a Crown Court for sentence hearings only.

The location of these seven courts does not reflect changes in population, workload or transport and communication links since they were originally opened. The overall reduction in workload in magistrates’ courts has led to a utilisation 3 rate in Merseyside of 59.6% in 2009-10.

There are currently six Local Justice Areas within the LCJB area, each with a separate bench of magistrates as follows: The Liverpool bench has 290 magistrates; The Wirral bench has 201; The North Sefton bench has 72; The South Sefton bench has 113; The St Helens bench has 134; and The Knowsley bench has 104

Through operating out of this number of magistrates’ courts HMCS is unable to provide an efficient service in Merseyside. The current justice area structure prevents magistrates from being deployed flexibly or sharing their vital expertise and experience with a wider community that would benefit.

By implementing the proposals set out below we believe that HMCS can make better use of the remaining estate and significantly reduce costs both to HMCS and other agencies within the criminal justice system.

3 Courtroom utilisation is the time a courtroom is used, against the hours that a courtroom is available for use.

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The proposal

To continue to operate magistrates’ courts in Liverpool, Wirral, South Sefton (Bootle) and St Helens;

To close the magistrates’ courts in North Sefton (Southport) and Knowsley;

To merge the Local Justice Areas of Liverpool and Knowsley to create Liverpool and Knowsley Local Justice Area; and

To merge the North and South Sefton Local Justice Areas to create a single Sefton Local Justice Area.

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North Sefton (Southport) Magistrates’ Court

Southport Magistrates’ Court is the only criminal court in the North Sefton Local Justice Area. The court sits three days per week, with hearings covered by magistrates from the local bench and three part-time ushers based on site. The administration of the court is undertaken by a legal advisor and support staff from its linked court at South Sefton (Bootle), 18.7 miles away. A Court Manager, in partnership with a Deputy Justices’ Clerk and support team, run both sites from South Sefton, where the court files are retained and all administrative work is handled. Under the proposal, North Sefton would close and all its hearings would transfer to South Sefton Magistrates’ Court, which has recently been established as a Model Court.

The proposal would also result in the merger of North Sefton Local Justice Area, which has a bench of 72 magistrates and South Sefton Local Justice Area, which has a bench of 113.

Workload North Sefton deals with a full range of magistrates’ court work. Due to the level of work in the area the court only sits for three days a week and uses only one of its four courtrooms on a regular basis.

Accommodation The North Sefton court was built between 1917 and 1938. It is shared in part with the Police and joined to the local Police Station. It has four courtrooms, two with secure docks.

The court’s witness facilities are described as very poor and, due to the lack of dedicated toilet facilities, witnesses have to be escorted to staff toilets on the secure side of the building. The main issue is the under utilisation of the building resulting in inefficiency and administrative costs. As well as regularly only using a quarter of the courtrooms, the court has vacant space on the ground floor, which is in a state of disrepair.

Plans to integrate Southport County Court into the building were abandoned on cost grounds and that court is now also proposed for closure (see below).

Location Southport town centre, where North Sefton Magistrates’ Court is based, is 18.7 miles from Bootle, where South Sefton Magistrates Court is located. Frequent buses and trains link the two.

A train journey from Southport to Bootle takes 33 minutes (costing £4.40 return) and both stations are in reasonable walking distance of the town centre and courts. The bus journey takes 55 minutes, but involves very little walking

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as buses stop outside the court in Bootle. Services run every fifteen to 30 minutes daily. The bus costs around £4.20 for an adult day saver ticket.

Staff implications There are currently three part-time staff based at North Sefton Magistrates’ Court.

Other staff who currently work at North Sefton on a rota basis are based at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court.

HMCS will engage with staff and the Trades Unions throughout the consultation process.

Cost implications The 2009/10 operating cost 4 of North Sefton (Southport) Magistrates’ Court was £161,435. The closure of Southport court house would also remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance of around £285,000.

Implementation Should the decision to close North Sefton (Southport) Magistrates’ Court be taken, a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of work

4 2009/10 HMCS operating costs (excluding staff and non cash costs).

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Merger of North and South Sefton Local Justice Areas to form Sefton Local Justice Area

There are currently 72 magistrates on the North Sefton Bench and 113 magistrates on the South Sefton Bench.

By merging the Local Justice Areas and Benches Sefton will have a larger pool of magistrates through which to undertake their vital role and to fulfil all of the necessary statutory positions.

As part of the Sefton Bench, magistrates would have greater scope to deal with a variety of work, broadening their experience and making it easier for them to maintain their range of competencies.

A merger of the benches would also reduce the amount of administrative work involved in organising and attending separate bench and committee meetings. This would facilitate further efficiency savings whilst enabling an effective service to continue to be provided with increased flexibility.

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Knowsley Magistrates’ Court

Knowsley Magistrates’ Court is the only criminal court in the Knowsley Local Justice Area. The court sits five days per week, with hearings covered by magistrates from the local bench. The administration of the court is undertaken by legal advisors and support staff from its linked court at St Helens. A Court Manager, in partnership with a Deputy Justice’ Clerk and support team, run both sites from St Helens, where the court files are retained and all administrative work is handled. Under the proposal, Knowsley Magistrates’ Court would close and all its hearings and workload would transfer to Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, seven miles away.

The proposal would result in the merger of Knowsley Local Justice Area, which has a bench of 104 magistrates and Liverpool Local Justice Area, which has a bench of 290.

Workload Knowsley Magistrates’ Court only regularly uses two of its four courtrooms,

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court has sufficient capacity to take on the work from Knowsley.

Accommodation Knowsley Magistrates’ Court was built in 1974 and extended in the mid 1990s. It is Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant and has four courtrooms, two with secure docks and two with video link facilities. Although the Court has separate areas for prosecution and defence witnesses, its witness facilities are cramped and offer limited comfort. Due to the lay-out of the building there are no dedicated toilets for witnesses and no separate entrance. As the court’s main entrance is via a narrow thoroughfare used by all users and visitors, it is often difficult for prosecution witnesses to avoid defendants. The court’s custody facilities are leased from the adjacent Police station and there are unresolved issues with this lease. There is also no van dock on site, resulting in prisoners being offloaded onto the roadside.

The court building also houses a local HMCS training suite, which is regularly used by magistrates and staff from Cheshire and Merseyside. If the court is closed, training events can be accommodated at other locations.

Location Knowsley Magistrates’ Court is located in Huyton town centre, which is seven miles away from Liverpool Magistrates’ Court. Huyton town centre is linked by regular bus and train services to Liverpool city centre. The train journey between the two takes fourteen minutes (at a cost of £2.40 return) and both courts are around ten minutes’ walking distance from their respective stations.

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The bus journey takes 33 minutes (at a cost of approximately £4.20 for a day ticket) and requires less walking at each end.

Staff implications There are currently two staff based at Knowsley Magistrates’ Court’s training suite.

A number of Civilian Enforcement Officers based at the Area’s Central Payment and Enforcement Centre also use the Knowsley court as a local base.

Other staff, currently work at Knowsley on a rota basis, travelling to the court for hearings from their base court in St Helens.

HMCS will engage with staff and the Trades Unions throughout the consultation process.

Cost implications The 2009/10 operating cost of Knowsley Magistrates’ Court was £235,155. 5 The closure of Knowsley courthouse would also remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance of around £745,000.

Implementation Should the decision to close Knowsley Magistrates’ Court be taken, a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of work.

5 2009/10 HMCS operating costs (excluding staff and non cash costs).

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Merger of Knowsley and Liverpool Local Justice Areas to form Knowsley and Liverpool Local Justice Area

There are currently 104 magistrates in the Knowsley Bench and 290 magistrates in the Liverpool Bench.

By merging the Local Justice Areas and Benches Knowsley and Liverpool will have a larger pool of magistrates through which to undertake their vital role and to fulfil all the necessary statutory positions.

As part of the new Knowsley and Liverpool Bench, magistrates would have greater scope to deal with a variety of work, broadening their experience and making it easier for them to maintain their range of competencies.

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Magistrates’ courts in Cheshire

The need for change HMCS currently operates magistrates’ courts in Chester, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Crewe, Northwich and Warrington.

The location of these six courts does not reflect changes in population, workload or transport and communication links since they were originally opened. The overall reduction in workload in magistrates’ courts has led to a utilisation rate in Cheshire in 2009–10 of 50.2%. 6

There are currently six Local Justice Areas within the LCJB area, each with a separate bench of magistrates as follows: Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston bench: 105 magistrates; Halton (Runcorn) bench: 72; Macclesfield bench: 66; South Cheshire (Crewe) bench: 77; Vale Royal (Northwich) bench: 55; and Warrington bench: 89.

Through operating out of this number of magistrates’ courts HMCS is unable to provide an efficient service in Cheshire. The current justice area structure prevents magistrates from being deployed flexibly or sharing their vital expertise and experience with a wider community that would benefit.

6 Courtroom utilisation is the time a courtroom is used, against the hours that a courtroom is available for use.

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The proposal

To continue to operate magistrates’ courts in Chester, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Crewe and Warrington;

To close the magistrates’ court in Vale Royal (Northwich); and

To merge the Local Justice areas of Vale Royal and Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston to create West Cheshire Local Justice Area.

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Vale Royal or Northwich Magistrates’ Court

Northwich Magistrates’ Court is the only criminal court in the Vale Royal Local Justice Area. Under the proposal, Northwich would close and the majority of its workload would transfer to Chester Magistrates’ Court. Cheshire’s road traffic work, which is currently dealt with centrally at Northwich, would be either de-centralised or transferred elsewhere, following a full review, which would include local consultation.

This proposal would result in the merger of Vale Royal Local Justice Area, which has a bench of 55 magistrates and Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston Local Justice Area, which has a bench of 105.

Workload The court sits five days per week, regularly using just one or two of its three courtrooms.

Accommodation Northwich Magistrates’ Court occupies purpose built accommodation completed in 1969. The building is of a poor standard and is lacking some criminal court facilities like a prison video link. Its witness facilities are also poor and do not include dedicated toilets. The witness service office on site is inadequate. The court also has no van dock and, therefore has issues associated with offloading prisoners. The court is co-located with Northwich County Court, which is also proposed for closure (see below).

Location Northwich town centre is 19.6 miles from Chester Magistrates’ Court. Trains between Northwich and Chester run twice every hour during the day. The journey costs £7.70 return and takes 33 minutes. The court is fifteen minutes from the station on foot, although there is a free shuttle bus if required. The bus from Northwich is as frequent as the train and takes 54 minutes, stopping closer to the court.

Staff implications There are currently 22 staff based at Northwich Magistrates’ Court.

HMCS will engage with staff and the Trades Unions throughout the consultation process.

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Cost implications Northwich Magistrates’ Court shares accommodation with Northwich County Court. The 2009/10 operating cost 7 of Northwich Magistrates’ and County Court was £220,660. The closure of Northwich court house would also remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance of around £135,000.

Implementation Should the decision to close Northwich Magistrates’ Court be taken, a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of work.

7 2009/10 HMCS operating costs (excluding staff and non cash costs).

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Local Justice Area Merger of Vale Royal and Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston Local Justice Areas to form West Cheshire Local Justice Area

There are currently 55 magistrates on the Vale Royal Bench and 105 magistrates on the Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston Bench.

With a Bench in Vale Royal of relatively few magistrates compared to others it is increasingly impractical to fill the various positions, committees and panels that are required and due to forecast volumes of work it is unlikely to be necessary to increase the size of the bench. By merging the Local Justice Areas and Benches West Cheshire will have a larger pool of magistrates through which to undertake their vital role and to fulfil all the necessary statutory positions.

As part of the West Cheshire Bench, magistrates would have greater scope to deal with a variety of work, broadening their experience and making it easier for them to maintain their range of competencies.

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County courts in Cheshire and Merseyside

The need for change HMCS has increased mediation and alternative dispute resolution services in order to reduce the amount of cases which have to come to court, and improve the experience for users. As more claims are processed online and by telephone, and other non-judicial processes are being centralised away from the frontline, counter services will also be less needed.

HMCS currently has county courts in Cheshire at Chester, Crewe, Macclesfield, Northwich, Runcorn and Warrington; and in Merseyside at Birkenhead, Liverpool, Southport and St Helens.

We propose to close the county courts in Northwich, Runcorn and Southport to rationalise the estate and ensure services meet the needs and expectations of communities.

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The proposal

To continue to operate county courts in: Chester; Crewe; Macclesfield; Warrington; Birkenhead; Liverpool; and St Helens.

To close the county courts in: Northwich; Runcorn; and Southport.

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Northwich County Court

Northwich County Court currently shares a District Judge with Runcorn County Court. Under the proposal Northwich would close and its workload would transfer to Crewe and Chester County Courts. Further work is being undertaken to determine the more precise proportion of the court’s workload that would transfer to each of these courts.

Workload Northwich County Court has full county court jurisdiction and sits two days per week. It operates a counter service five days per week,

Accommodation Northwich County Court is co-located with Northwich Magistrates’ Court, which is also proposed for closure (see above). The accommodation was purpose built for use as a court in 1969. The building is Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant but is generally of a poor standard. The main accommodation issue with the building is poor witness facilities that are considered to impact on its continued suitability as a criminal court. The main issue for Northwich County Court is the under utilisation of its facilities due to its small workload.

Location A bus service operates every 30 minutes from the centre of Northwich and takes just over an hour to reach the centre of Crewe. There is no direct train service between the two but the train from Hartford (a 20 minute bus ride from Northwich) to Crewe takes thirteen minutes and costs £4.30 return. Crewe station is a seventeen minute walk from the court, a journey of 50 minutes in total.

Trains between Northwich and Chester run twice every hour during the day. The journey costs £7.70 return and takes 33 minutes. The court is fifteen minutes from the station on foot, though a free shuttle bus service is available if required. A regular bus service from Northwich to Chester takes 54 minutes and stops closer to the court.

Staff implications There are currently three staff based at Northwich County Court.

HMCS will engage with staff and the Trades Unions throughout the consultation process.

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Cost implications Northwich County Court shares accommodation with Northwich Magistrates’ Court. The 2009/10 operating cost 8 of Northwich Magistrates’ and County Court was £220,660. The closure of Northwich court house would also remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance of around £135,000.

Implementation Should the decision to close Northwich County Court be taken, a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of work.

Counter Services The proposed closure would also involve the loss of the counter service currently offered at Northwich County Court between 10.00am and 4.00pm every day; though this service is infrequently used, especially on the three days per week when the court isn’t sitting.

Alternative counter services are available at Crewe and Chester County Courts between 10.00am and 4.00pm.

8 2009/10 HMCS operating costs (excluding staff and non cash costs).

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Runcorn County Court

Runcorn County Court is a Civil hearing centre only with all its administrative work handled at Warrington Combined Court. Warrington County Court would potentially need to increase its sitting days slightly to absorb Runcorn’s hearings, which it has the capacity to do.

Workload The court sits three days per week and shares a District Judge with Northwich County Court.

Accommodation Runcorn County Court is co-located with Runcorn Magistrates’ Court and Cheshire’s Central Payment and Enforcement Centre in a building built in the 1960s. The county court has one civil courtroom which is used every weekday by the Tribunals Service and one civil hearing room, which it uses two days per week. The building is Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant. The main issue for Runcorn County Court is its under utilisation of its hearing room due to its small workload.

Location Warrington Combined Court is 8.7 miles from Runcorn County Court. The two are linked by a regular bus service, which takes 33 minutes and costs circa £5.00 for a day ticket. The stops at either end are within easy walking distance of the courts and town centres.

Only part of the journey can be made by train.

Staff implications There are currently no staff based at Runcorn County Court.

HMCS will engage with staff and the Trades Unions throughout the consultation process.

Cost implications The 2009/10 operating cost of Runcorn County Court was £32,779. 9

Implementation Should the decision to close Runcorn County Court be taken, a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of work.

9 2009/10 HMCS operating costs (excluding staff and non cash costs).

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Southport County Court

Southport County Court has jurisdiction for the full range of civil and family work except for bankruptcy. Under this proposal Southport would close and the bulk of its workload would transfer to the modern Civil and Family Justice Centre in Liverpool. As some parishes to the north of Southport are closer to neighbouring Preston, the small proportion of work associated with these areas would be transferred to Preston County Court, which belongs to the Cumbria and Lancashire HMCS Area. Further work is being undertaken to determine the proportions of work that would be transferred to each of these two locations.

Workload The court operates five days per week with one full-time District Judge and a second District Judge for approximately half of the time available.

Accommodation Southport County Court is a minor occupier in a shared 1960s building, which is in a poor condition (although Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant). The main occupier is seeking to vacate the building putting the continued occupancy of HMCS under threat. The current lease arrangement, which is renewed every five years, is due to expire in 2011. The court has two civil hearing rooms and occasionally uses a courtroom in Southport Magistrates’ Court, which is also proposed for closure.

Location Liverpool Civil and Family Justice Centre is 21.3 miles from Southport town centre. There are good transport links between Southport town centre and Liverpool city centre. The train journey between the two takes 42 minutes and the train station is adjacent to the court in Liverpool. An alternative bus service takes one hour nine minutes. Both services run daily every fifteen to 30 minutes. The train costs £4.40 return and day bus pass costs approximately £4.20.

Staff implications There are currently nine staff based at Southport County Court.

HMCS will engage with staff and the Trades Unions throughout the consultation process.

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Cost implications The 2009/10 operating cost 10 of Southport County Court was £162,819?. The closure of Southport court house would also remove the need for HMCS investment in backlog maintenance of around £50,000.

Implementation Should the decision to close Southport County Court be taken, a full implementation plan will be produced to ensure the smooth transfer of work.

Counter Services The proposed closure would also involve the loss of the counter service currently offered at Southport County Court between 10.00am and 4.00pm every day. Alternative counter services are available at Liverpool Civil and Family Justice Centre between 10.00 am and 4.00pm daily.

10 2009/10 HMCS operating costs (excluding staff and non cash costs).

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Annex A – Map of proposals

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Questionnaire

We would welcome responses to the following questions set out in this consultation paper.

Question 1a. What comments would you like to make on the proposals for the future provision of magistrates’ courts services in Merseyside (including Local Justice Area/ Bench mergers)?

Question 1b. Please describe any particular impacts that should be taken into account when considering the proposals for magistrates’ courts in Merseyside and why.

Question 1c. Will the proposals for magistrates’ courts in Merseyside have a direct impact on you? If yes please provide further details. (Your information will assist in reviewing the equality impact assessment.)

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Question 2a. What comments would you like to make on the proposals for the future provision of magistrates’ courts services in Cheshire (including Local Justice Area/ Bench mergers)?

Question 2b. Please describe any particular impacts that should be taken into account when considering the proposals for magistrates’ courts in Cheshire and why.

Question 2c. Will the proposals for magistrates’ courts in Cheshire have a direct impact on you? If yes please provide further details. (Your information will assist in reviewing the equality impact assessment.)

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Question 3a. What comments would you like to make on the proposals for the future provision of county court services in Cheshire and Merseyside?

Question 3b. Please describe any particular impacts that should be taken into account when considering the proposals for county courts in Cheshire and Merseyside and why.

Question 3c. Will the proposals for county courts in Cheshire and Merseyside have a direct impact on you? If yes please provide further details. (Your information will assist in reviewing the equality impact assessment.)

Thank you for participating in this consultation exercise.

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About you

Please use this section to tell us about yourself

Full name Job title or capacity in which you are responding to this consultation exercise (e.g. member of the public etc.) Date Company name/organisation (if applicable): Address

Postcode If you would like us to acknowledge receipt of your response, please tick this box (please tick box)

Address to which the acknowledgement should be sent, if different from above

If you are a representative of a group , please tell us the name of the group and give a summary of the people or organisations that you represent.

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Contact details/How to respond

Please send your response by 15 September 2010 to: Joan Porter Tel: 0151 3309604 Fax: 0151 2365180 Email: [email protected]

Extra copies Further paper copies of this consultation can be obtained from this address and it is also available on-line at http://www.justice.gov.uk/index.htm.

Alternative format versions of this publication can be requested from [email protected] or by phone 0151 3309604.

Publication of response A paper summarising the responses to this consultation will be published within 3 months of the end of the consultation period. The response paper will be available on-line at http://www.justice.gov.uk/index.htm.

Representative groups Representative groups are asked to give a summary of the people and organisations they represent when they respond.

Confidentiality Information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be published or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).

If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, under the FOIA, there is a statutory Code of Practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence. In view of this it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.

33 Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

The Department will process your personal data in accordance with the DPA and, in the majority of circumstances; this will mean that your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties.

34 Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

The consultation criteria

The seven consultation criteria are as follows:

1. When to consult – Formal consultations should take place at a stage where there is scope to influence the policy outcome.

2. Duration of consultation exercises – Consultations should normally last for at least 12 weeks with consideration given to longer timescales where feasible and sensible.

3. Clarity of scope and impact – Consultation documents should be clear about the consultation process, what is being proposed, the scope to influence and the expected costs and benefits of the proposals.

4. Accessibility of consultation exercises – Consultation exercises should be designed to be accessible to, and clearly targeted at, those people the exercise is intended to reach.

5. The burden of consultation – Keeping the burden of consultation to a minimum is essential if consultations are to be effective and if consultees’ buy-in to the process is to be obtained.

6. Responsiveness of consultation exercises – Consultation responses should be analysed carefully and clear feedback should be provided to participants following the consultation.

7. Capacity to consult – Officials running consultations should seek guidance in how to run an effective consultation exercise and share what they have learned from the experience.

These criteria must be reproduced within all consultation documents.

35 Proposal on the provision of courts services in Cheshire and Merseyside

Consultation Co-ordinator contact details

If you have any complaints or comments about the consultation process rather than about the topic covered by this paper, you should contact Sara Edet/Andy Holmes, HMCS Consultation Co-ordinators, on 020 3334 6686/6693, or email [email protected].

Alternatively, you may wish to write to the address below: Sara Edet/Andy Holmes HMCS Consultation Co-ordinators 2.37, 2nd Floor 102 Petty France London SW1H 9AJ

If your complaints or comments refer to the topic covered by this paper rather than the consultation process, please direct them to the contact given under the How to respond section of this paper at page 33.

Alternative format versions of this report are available on request from [email protected] or by phone 0151 3309604.