MAGISTRATES in Selby have agreed to fight the proposed closure of the town’s courthouse.

At an extraordinary general meeting, justices who serve on the Selby bench agreed to form a working group to put together a case for keeping the New Lane courthouse, which is under threat of the axe from the Government. The decision adds weight to the campaign by The Press to keep the facility in the town.

In a statement, the chairman of the bench, Ron Humphrys, said: “Selby magistrates have made a decision to oppose the proposed closure of Selby Court. A working group has been appointed to respond to the consultation document. We will be asking all parties who have an interest in keeping a courthouse in Selby to work with us to oppose this proposed closure.”

Fellow magistrate Brian Wood said the proposed closure, which also threatens Goole court and a further 156 nationally, made no sense and was driven by financial issues.

He also said some felt the decision to close Selby and transfer cases to York had already been made and the consultation process was merely a public relations exercise. Mr Wood said: “It just does not add up why they want to close it. We have disabled access at Selby which they do not have at York. We have also got one of the biggest geographical boundaries in Yorkshire and some of the people will have a long way to go and have to catch two or three buses to get to York.”

He said if the courthouse closed it would mean some defendants being brought to York by the police rather than kept in the cells at Selby.

The magistrates’ working party will now hold meetings with solicitors, the probation service, the police and the council in an attempt to halt the closure.

Members of the public can have their say at justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-cp13-10.htm