A BARROW court is set to deal with more cases after it was confirmed that Kendal court will close. 

It was announced on Thursday that 86 courthouses across England and Wales are to be closed as part of a £700m revamp to modernise the justice system.

Justice minister Shailesh Vara said the courts being closed were used for only a third of their available time on average - equivalent to less than two days a week - and many were unsuited to the use of modern technology.

Kendal Magistrates and County Court will close, but there are "a number of factors to consider" before it can officially can do so.  

The operating costs were around £244,000 in 2014/15. 

Where will cases be heard now? 

Some of its criminal work will move to Lancaster Magistrates’ Court, instead of Furness Magistrates’ Court in Barrow, as originally proposed. 

However, the remainder of the magistrates’ work, and the civil and family work, will move to Barrow. 

The government said the "utilisation rate" of the Kendal court was "very low" at around 13 per cent and "does not justify keeping the court open".

What does the local MP say? 


Tim Farron Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said the decision showed “total disregard” for local communities whose access to the justice system, he claimed, will be harmed. 

He said: "The government's closure of Kendal court will make it very difficult for local families to get fair access to justice in South Lakeland. 

“The government’s consultation showed that 98 per cent of local people opposed this move, yet despite this Michael Gove has pressed ahead with the closure. 

"This decision shows a total disregard for rural communities like ours, where people will now have to travel significant distances and at considerable cost simply in order to have access to justice. 

“Justice will be diminished as people will be put off going to court because of the time and money involved. 

"We will also end up with the perverse situation in which defendant, victim and witnesses could all be sat together for hours on the same bus to Barrow.

"To suggest that this wouldn’t have an impact on the system’s ability to deliver justice is absurd. 

“The closure will also heap additional costs in terms of time, effort and money, on to our police force in Cumbria who have already been cut back by the government. 

"I will continue to campaign to see a return for fair access to justice in South Lakeland.”

What does the government say? 

A government statement said: "Careful consideration has been given to these proposals and the possible options to increase the utilisation of the Kendal Magistrates’ Court and County Court, however, HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not consider that these options are viable. 

"There is insufficient crown court work in Cumbria to increase the utilisation to an acceptable level.

"HM Courts & Tribunals Service needs to reduce the current and future cost of running the estate and to maximise the capital receipts from surplus estate for reinvestment - the creation of a justice centre in Kendal will not achieve this."

Will other Cumbria courts close?

West Cumbria Magistrates’ Court and County Court, which was also under threat of closure, will stay open. 

What does the Cumbria crime commissioner say?
Richard Rhodes

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Richard Rhodes, said: “I welcome today’s announcement by HMCTS that West Cumbria Magistrates Court will not be closing.

"I would like to thank everyone that has worked and campaigned to put a strong case forward to keep the court.

“However, I find it extraordinary that Kendal Court will now face closure. 

"In December, the court was closed as a result of flooding and the court provision was provided at an alternative site in Kendal. 

"This worked well and showed that the court was much needed.

“I will be pursuing discussions locally to try to ensure a satisfactory solution.”