The Ministry of Justice is seeking views on the closure of 103 Magistrates’ Courts and 54 county courts deemed under-used or inadequate.

The cost-cutting move comes in the week Chancellor George Osborne’s emergency Budget confirmed unprotected departments face budget cuts of 25 per cent.

If implemented HM Court Services hopes to make annual running cost savings of £15.3m and avoid a further £21.5m on maintenance costs.

The ministry has published on its website regional proposals for modernising and making more effective use of the 530 strong criminal justice estate comprising 330 magistrates’ courts, 219 county courts and 91 Crown Court centres.

According to the ministry, their number and location does not reflect recent changes in population, workload or transport and communication links.

The rationalisation programme is seen as an opportunity to drive further savings for other justice agencies by focusing their presence in a single accessible community location.

The consultation process ends on September 15 and invites comments on whether buildings slated for closure could be moved to nearby courts with sufficient capacity and better facilities.

Main principles followed by the consultation include: -

• improving utilisation to at least 80 per cent;
• providing greater flexibility through co-location of criminal courts and civil courts with tribunal hearing centres,
• integrating developing policy and operational changes into estates planning; · ensuring the majority of the public are within a 60 minute commute of their nearest court by public transport;
• centralsing back-office functions wherever possible;
• have specialist facilities in large strategic locations only; · move towards larger courts;
• maintain properties at an appropriate level.

To facilitate the proposed changes, the merger of a number of Local Justice Areas is also being consulted upon. Such a move would allow magistrates to be deployed more flexibly in these areas, enabling them provide their expertise and experience to a wider community.

In an early closure Leigh County Court in Greater Mancheser will not reopen two years after an arson attack.

Cases have since been heard in Wigan or Warrington seven and ten miles away without dirsuption to the delivery of justice.

Plans for the £94m build of a new magistrates court in Birmingham were also shelved as the Ministry of Justice's contribution to the additional £6.25bn savings plan.

In further efforts to drive greater property efficiency, in his first major speech as Police Minister, Nick Herbert made reference to the modernisation of the criminal justice estate.

Mr Herbert spoke of the need to reassess how modern court services are delivered and the role of new technology in reducing the perceived need to provide a courthouse in every town or city.

The minister also spoke against the presumption of maintaining ‘old fashioned, under-visited police stations’ to give the police a base in their communities, suggesting as alternatives the sharing of community premises or a shop front on the local parade.