Courts close in justice shake-up

The Scottish Court Service will run the services

The District Courts at Kingussie, Nairn and Inverurie are to close next year in an overhaul of local justice.

Cases from Kingussie and Nairn will transfer to Inverness, while Inverurie cases will be heard in Aberdeen.

The District Court at Stornoway, run by the local authority, will become a Justice of the Peace Court under the Scottish Court Service.

It is part of reforms across the country, with new JP courts taking over the work of the District Courts.

Summary justice reforms will demand greater standards from our court facilities Eleanor Emberson Scottish Court Service

Responsibility for the JP courts will be transferred from local authorities to the Scottish Court Service.

It is claimed the move to a unified courts administration will create an enhanced service.

The reforms will also allow the JP courts to be equipped with the latest technology, speeding up the time it takes to hear cases.

From June 2008, new JP courts will operate in Aberdeen, Banff, Dingwall, Dornoch, Elgin, Fort William, Inverness, Portree, Peterhead, Stonehaven, Stornoway, Tain and Wick.

However, Inverurie, Nairn and Kingussie district courts will close.

High quality

Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service Eleanor Emberson said there had been opposition to the closures.

"There were considerable local concerns expressed in relation to a loss of local justice," she added.

"We had to weigh very carefully these real concerns against the fact that these courts sit only once or twice a month and that summary justice reforms will demand greater standards from our court facilities.

"The three key issues for us were efficiency and best value for the taxpayer, future volumes of business and ensuring high quality court accommodations."

She added that retaining the three courts would have cost about £2.4m.

The move from district to JP courts will take place across Scotland, with Lothian and Borders starting the changeover in April next year.

The Scottish Court Service currently administers the Court of Session, High Court and sheriff courts.