Court service facing £90m shortfall
Thursday, 04 Sep 2008 12:56
The court service in England and Wales is facing a £90 million shortfall over the next three years
The court service in England and Wales is facing a £90 million shortfall over the next three years, according to a senior judge.
Senior presiding judge Lord Justice Leveson warned in a letter to judges and magistrates that the justice system faces possible pay cuts, redundancies and cancelled court sittings.
The shortfall has arisen due to a fall in the amount of income derived from fees paid in court users.
The Times newspaper reports that rises in fees are deterring people from using the courts leading to the shortfall.
Lord Justice Leveson's letter claims the court service has identified a £27 million shortfall in fee income for 2008/09, with shortfalls of £46 million and £17 million in 2009/10 and 2010/11 respectively.
The Conservative party managed to obtain a copy of the letter and described it as a financial "black hole".
The Tories claim the government has repeatedly ignored warnings from local authorities that they could not afford the increase in court fees.
Shadow justice minister Henry Bellingham said: "Once again, this government's incompetence has led to a crisis in the justice system. If court sittings are cancelled and trials delayed, the public will be put at risk and justice undermined.
"Ministers ignored warnings from judges, magistrates and local authorities and now they do not have the money to address the shortfall. This is a black hole of their own making."