Residents in the Burnham-On-Sea area may be able to attend courts in Weston, instead of having to travel to Taunton when Sedgemoor Magistrates Court in Bridgwater closes next year, the government said on Wednesday.
Burnham-On-Sea.com first reported earlier this week how controversial cost-cutting measures announced by the government will lead to Sedgemoor Magistrates Court in Bridgwater closing next year, with all its workload moving to Taunton. It means the nearest court to Burnham will be Taunton Deane Magistrates Court, which is over 20 miles away.
The issue was brought up in parliament by Burnham’s MP, Tessa Munt, and Jonathan Djanogly, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for HM Courts Service and Legal Aid, responded: “Consideration is to be given to those who live in the north of the area, in terms of having their cases heard at a more convenient court in the Avon and Somerset area.”
It comes after Tessa Munt stated: “I would like to tell the Minister about my concerns for the people who live in rural Somerset. The Government intend to close Bridgwater Court and Frome Court, which, as the Lord Chief Justice has recognised, will leave any number of people unable to reach a court inside one day’s travel by public transport.”
