THE Bolton News can today reveal plans are being considered to close the town’s magistrates’ court in a bid to save money.

It comes more than a decade after a major Bolton News campaign saved the court from the axe.

Closing the building in Le Mans Crescent has been identified as one of a number of possible savings by The Manchester Orbital Branch (MOB) of the Magistrates’ Association, which claims the court is “not fit for purpose”.

In documents seen by The Bolton News, the branch was asked to come up with savings suggestions by the association’s chairman, John Fassenfelt, following a meeting with Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.

Bolton is part of one court “cluster” which has already seen four of its courts combined into two — Wigan and Leigh, and Bury and Rochdale — and if the proposals were approved Bolton would be merged with them.

But one Bolton magistrate, who asked not to be named, said: “The magistracy is about local people delivering local justice.

“To remove a court from the community means you’re putting a distance between the community and those offending.”

The 75-year-old building is owned by Bolton Council and rented by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMTC).

In 2001 The Bolton News fought a successful year-long battle to keep the court open following plans to close it and transfer cases to Bury.

The Save our Courts campaign even won the backing of then Prime Minister Tony Blair and included a 21,000 signature petition.

In its new report, the MOB said its development committee had considered a number of criteria including court facilities, diminishing workloads, transport links, locations, and the ability of staff to best support magistrates.

The report said: “For a long time, because of its design, layout and age Bolton has been deemed not fit for purpose.

“Measured against our criteria, the committee agreed with this statement and therefore would not oppose its closure.

“Bolton’s falling workload has resulted in approximately three courts operating on a daily basis, therefore its work could be distributed between the other two court houses in the cluster.”

The group said it would also “not oppose” closing two courts in a second court cluster — axing Oldham Magistrates’ Court and merging it with Tameside, and closing Stockport and merging it with Trafford.

The report added: “We accept and appreciate that our colleagues have emotional ties to their respective courts but the committee has taken a constructive and pragmatic view that with the falling workload and underuse of court houses and the need to maintain our minimum sittings in order to remain competent, we could no longer maintain the status quo.

“We also require a high standard of legal and administrative support to carry out our duties.

“Therefore, the committee believes that keeping two court houses per cluster is the most appropriate way forward.”

The Bolton magistrate said: “It’s a consultation and the public in Bolton will want to know the outcome of it and whether they need to try and save their court.

“Workloads are falling because the police are issuing more on-the-spot fines for some offences like shoplifting and minor anti-social behaviour, we used to run seven courts and now it’s three or four a day.”

Richard Monkhouse, deputy chairman of the Magistrates' Association — who also sits as a magistrate in Trafford — stressed no decisions had been made He said: “Investigations are being carried out by the government to refinance the courts system and produce a long-term plan for its future.

“We have asked government to do this first and see later, once some sort of plan exists, whether a closure programme is still required. However, the government’s spending review is almost complete and savings will have to be made, we are told.

“The court estate and personnel are the only significant disposable assets the court system has.

“The Magistrates’ Association has invited branches to discuss locally and say whether there were any potential courts in their area that could be considered, should a closure consultation be announced and the government tell us that to meet their financial plans another 80 courts will be closed.

“We will not be offering any courts or any list to government as we don't want to be a hostage to fortune, but we do want to be prepared.”

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling insisted he was not “selling the courts off”.

He said: “ I will be giving the courts greater commercial freedom and we're working out how best to do that at the moment."

Bolton Council leader, Cllr Cliff Morris has described the proposals as “disappointing”.

He added: “We’re one of the biggest townships in Greater Manchester so to close it would be ridiculous.”

A Bolton Council spokeswoman said: “The Magistrates’ Court has been a tenant of the council in the Le Mans building on a long established agreement.

“We are awaiting the strategic decision of HMCTS in terms of the future of the Magistrates’ Court.”