The Government has today announced that Redhill Magistrates’ Court and Reigate County Court will close following a Ministry of Justice estates review of the courts and tribunals service.
Crispin Blunt MP reacted:
“I am very disappointed that the courts in Reigate will close. We had put forward very strong arguments for a continuing presence in Reigate, not least because defendants – including those held at the nearby new custody suite in Salfords, witnesses, lawyers, council officers and the public will have to travel to Guildford or Staines for hearings. Surrey will be left with only two courts at Guildford and Staines, which will have insufficient capacity to cope with the current workload of cases, causing longer delays.
“I only hope that the planned investment to install modern IT systems will be enough to reduce the need for people to travel to court, except for the most sensitive and complex cases.”