Move Crown Court work to Kendal - Farron
South Lakes MP Tim Farron has today called for Crown Court work to take place at Kendal Court. This would save money and offer a lifeline to Kendal Court, which is currently earmarked for closure.
The Magistrates' Court in Carlisle was damaged by floods, leading to plans to extend the Crown Court so that it could cover this business. It is estimated that this would cost the taxpayer £8million.
Tim is proposing an alternative to this costly plan, calling for some of the Crown Court work from Carlisle to be transferred to Kendal. Making use of the existing premises in Kendal would be significantly cheaper than extending the Court at Carlisle - selling the premises in Kendal would raise just £1.4million. This plan would also provide an argument for keeping Kendal Court open. It is currently set to close on the 30th June.
Kendal Court could also take Crown Court cases from Lancaster, and become a regional hub. Tim has written to the Justice Minister Liz Truss MP to urge her to consider these proposals.
Tim said: "Rather than closing the court in Kendal and leaving local people to face long journeys to access justice, the government must look at the evidence and realise that this plan makes sense.
"Moving some Crown Court work to Kendal would provide a lifeline for our local court, keep local access to justice, and save the taxpayer money.
"It is not too late for the government to change its mind."