End of an era as Oldham Magistrates' Court closes

Photo: Darren Robinson

EXPERT witnesses . . . past and present colleagues with MP Jim McMahon (front) mark the final day at Oldham Magistrates' Court

OLDHAM Magistrates' Court has closed its doors for the final time.

Magistrates witnessed the last proceedings at the West Street building yesterday morning before gathering in the afternoon with other court staff to share memories of their work from the last four decades.

Under a court closure programme announced by the Government last July, a 12-week consultation period was put in place to close all county courts in Greater Manchester, with the exception of Wigan and Manchester.

Cases for Oldham Magistrates' Court, which had 22 staff and annual operating costs of £418,000, will be transferred to Tameside.

Cases at Oldham County Court, on New Radcliffe Street, which has 31 staff and annual operating costs of £666,000, will be transferred to the Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

A date has yet to be given as to when the county court will close.

One magistrate, who did not want to be named, said: "This is a historic day for us all.

"This court has served the community very well since it was opened back in the 1970s.

"We've had magistrates serving here from all sections of the community and we are all extremely sad and disappointed that the court has to close.

"We know that other courts have been closed too and we're not making a political point about it here today. But on a human level, we feel quite emotional about it.

"A lot of the Oldham magistrates will transfer to Tameside or Manchester. Others have or will retire.

"We had around 80 magistrates at Oldham but there have been quite a few retirements because magistrates cannot serve after the age of 70."

In the North-West alone, only St Helens County Court (with St Helens Magistrates' Court to close), Stockport Magistrates' Court and County Court, and West Cumbria Magistrates' Court and County Court will remain open.

The bulk of the magistrates will now at sit at Ashton but also have the option to sit in any Greater Manchester magistrates' court.

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon had written to Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester interim Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, asking him to use his powers to halt the closures in Oldham.

But Mr Lloyd said he was unable to reverse the decision.

Oldham Law Association president Roger Lowe, whose firm Garratt's Solicitors has offices in Oldham and Ashton, has been a practitioner in Oldham since 1979.

He does not believe any legal firms in Oldham will be moving their offices out of the town as there is a suspicion that Tameside could also close one day.

Mr Lowe said: "It's a very sad day for all Oldham practitioners. There was a good relationship between the different solicitors, legal advisers and magistrates.

"It's sad to see it all come to an end, in the name of what some people call progress but I don't agree.

"There is a suspicion that the other courts are just going to be satellite courts used for minor offences, with the majority of stuff going to Manchester.

"That's the suspicion voiced by a few practitioners, so because of that it would foolish of them to say we're going to move from Oldham to Tameside, because who knows, in 5 or 10 years, they might find themselves having to relocate to Manchester."

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UPDATE - TONY LLOYD CLARIFICATION

IN FRIDAY'S paper we wrote that Oldham MP Jim McMahon wrote to Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd, asking him to use his powers to halt the court closures in Oldham, but he was unable to reverse the decision.

We have been asked to clarify that this was not because Mr Lloyd did not want to assist but that it was the government's decision to close the courts and therefore out of Mr Lloyd's control.