SHUTTING down Bury Courthouse would be a “huge loss” for local communities if Government plans are allowed to go ahead, says the town’s Conservative MP.

It was announced last week that Bury Magistrates’ Court and County Court have been earmarked for closure in a consultation published by Courts and Tribunals Minister Shailesh Vara.

The move would see the courts’ cases transferred to Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court and Manchester County Court, both located nine miles away in Manchester city centre.

Bury North MP David Nuttall, who lobbied to keep the County Court open when it came under threat in 2010, said: “It would be a huge loss to Bury if the courthouse was to close.

“There’s a good case to be made for restructuring to make proper use of Bury Courthouse, which is an absolutely excellent building, rather than closing it.

“It goes without saying that if the court building was to close, then the alternative would be much more inconvenient.

“I’m going to collect all of the views I can about the proposed closure of the courts and lodge a submission to the consultation.

“I urge everyone who has a view to get in touch with me because the more comprehensive my report is the better.”

The courthouse in Tenters Street, which employ 55 people, is among more than 20 magistrates, county, and family courts across the North West that have been recommended for closure.

Karen Lee, PCS union representative at Bury Courthouse, said: “It’s misleading to claim that closures are necessary to make savings for the taxpayer as they will be negated by higher costs of travelling, legal representation, and proposed higher fees and penalties at court.

“The Government could choose to save money in better ways than desecrating public services, and denying people access to local justice. These proposals disproportionately affect the North West and the most vulnerable in society.

“The suggested courtroom under-utilisation has been engineered by centralising work and driving business away.

“The result is that the public have to wait months instead of weeks for justice. People need to support local services by writing to their MP and attending anti-austerity protests.”

The report said that, in the 2014/15 financial year, the courthouse was used at approximately 51% of its capacity.

Chris MacWilliam, of Clough and Willis solicitors, said: “This news is very disturbing to hear, especially as we thought the court was going to be safe after the last round of closures in 2010.

“Bury and the surrounding areas are very busy and it really needs its own court. This really is madness.

“Despite the severe financial constraints at the moment, the court provides a great service to the local community, which is going to be lost.

“Going to Manchester means it will take a lot longer to deal with cases. The city centre courts are already overstretched and that is going to be compounded.”