London Courts Must Be Protected

12.00.00am GMT Mon 20th Oct 2003

Simon Hughes MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesman for London and London Mayoral Candidate will today call on Ministers to create smaller London court areas rather than the current plans for a single courts board for the whole of Greater London.

Commenting on his proposals Simon Hughes MP said:-

"London has had local administration of its courts for hundreds of years.

"The Government's proposals will mean that instead of this local accountability, London will have one board to help run all of Greater London's courts. The principle that local justice needs to be administered by local people has to be safeguarded.

"At a time when public confidence in Britain's criminal justice agencies is falling, the last thing Londoners need is to have control over the administration of justice centralised even further. Londoners want more accountability of our criminal justice agencies, not less.