News Desk

Magistrate’s courts will be slashed in order to make essential savings in public sector spending, with the Government expected to announce that 150 courts are to be closed with immediate effect.  This will mean 40% of the 350 magistrate’s courts will no longer hear cases.

The Government will justify the cuts in Magistrates courts by claiming cases can be heard in other courts without affecting the way people can expect to receive a fair trial.

The Chancellor George Osborne is likely today to reveal in his Budget a series of measures that will seek to reduce the public borrowing deficit which is being estimated at around £150 billion a year.    

Lawyers have already expressed their concern at the cuts in Magistrates courts.

Lawyers fear that cuts in the Magistrates courts will be followed by more cuts to the justice system, which – despite its crucial role in society – is seen as having second-class status relative to some other public services.

The Financial Times in a report said, "The fiercest debate so far is on the £2.1bn annual legal aid budget. The Bar Council says changes already announced could lead to an exodus of senior advocates, as the gross hourly rate for a defence barrister with 10 years’ experience acting for a client in a robbery case is due to fall from £50-£60 an hour to about £27-£35."

The National Audit Office says the number of Crown Courts at “critical risk of operational failure or building failure” fell 60 per cent in the two years to March 2008, but also noted that future maintenance spending might be squeezed because of the “tight financial position” facing the system.