Tim Farron calls for local court hearings following government promise
Court proceedings have been absent from Kendal Town Hall since 2020
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, is urging the current Labour Government to fulfil a commitment made by a previous administration regarding local access to justice.
Following the closure of Kendal Magistrates’ Court and County Court in 2017 as part of cost-cutting measures, the Conservative Government suggested that hearings could be conducted at Kendal Town Hall instead.
No court proceedings have taken place at this location since 2020.
Mr Farron described the absence of court hearings in Kendal as a 'breach of trust' and argued that it is detrimental to the local community.
During an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service he said, “The broader issue is that folks have to go to the magistrates court in either Lancaster or Barrow or further afield, if you’re in South Lakeland.
“That is expensive, and it’s difficult, it’s hard for the police, it’s hard for victims, it’s hard for the defendants, it’s hard for families, for witnesses.
“It is inconvenient, and often some of these issues are to do with really sensitive family matters, and it adds to the distress of what is already a distressing time.
“The justice service is something that should be locally accessible, we shouldn’t have to travel a 50 mile round trip, minimum, to be part of the justice service.”
He previously raised the issue with Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, who assured him that the government would investigate the situation in Kendal.
However, Mr Lammy said the government would ‘look closely’ at needs in Kendal, but that it will take it ‘some time’ to address what it inherited from the previous administration.