Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the monthly cost is of each court building which has been closed but not disposed of since May 2010.
Simon Hughes
The Department is committed to disposing of surplus property assets expeditiously and reducing holding costs. The monthly cost of each court building which has been closed but not disposed of since May 2010 is detailed below. The majority of these courts were closed as part of the Court Estate Reform Programme (CERP).
CERP is expected to deliver an estimated £99m resource savings plus £53m from the sale of buildings. Under this Government court buildings that were rarely used or no longer suitable were closed as part of our drive to cut waste. There are temporary costs associated with ensuring unused courts are kept secure and protecting the fabric of each building, as well as property tax rates payable to the local council. When disposing of surplus property assets we will always seek best value for the taxpayer.
In addition to the courts announced for closure under CERP, the Ministry of Justice has closed and disposed of a number of court buildings as a result of the integration and co-location.
Table: monthly cost of each court building which has been closed but not disposed of since May 2010 as at 30 June 2014
|
Court Building |
Average monthly cost 1, 6 |
|
Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ & County Court 2 |
£2,893 |
|
Bridgwater Magistrates’ Court 3 |
£1,951 |
|
Bridport Magistrates’ Court |
£1,839 |
|
Burton-upon-Trent County Court |
£1,590 |
|
Cirencester Magistrates’ Court |
£1,053 |
|
Coleford Magistrates’ Court |
£1,423 |
|
Dorking Magistrates’ Court |
£4,740 |
|
Epping Magistrates’ Court |
£1,931 |
|
Flint Magistrates’ Court |
£1,945 |
|
Frome Magistrates’ Court |
£869 |
|
Goole Magistrates’ Court 4 |
£632 |
|
Haywards Heath (Mid Sussex) Magistrates’ Court |
£7,255 |
|
Honiton Magistrates’ Court |
£1,298 |
|
Houghton Le Spring Magistrates’ Court 5 |
£1,794 |
|
Keighley (Bingley) Magistrates’ Court |
£5,171 |
|
Lewes Magistrates’ Court |
£8,456 |
|
Lyndhurst Magistrates’ Court |
£2,557 |
|
Market Drayton Magistrates’ Court |
£3,898 |
|
Oswestry Magistrates’ Court & County Court |
£1,958 |
|
Pontefract Magistrates’ Court |
£4,940 |
|
Rochdale Magistrates’ Court |
£9,974 |
|
Selby Magistrates’ Court |
£6,055 |
|
Sherbourne Magistrates’ Court |
£1,301 |
|
Stoke-on-Trent Magistrates’ Court |
£9,040 |
|
Totnes Magistrates’ Court |
£2,184 |
|
Towcester Magistrates’ Court |
£1,184 |
|
Weston Super Mare Magistrates’ Court |
£488 |
|
Wimborne Magistrates’ Court |
£4,122 |
|
Witham Magistrates’ Court |
£1,502 |
Footnotes:
1. Monthly cost based on financial year data 2013/14. Holding costs include rates, fuel and utilities, facilities management, telephony and other property costs.
2. Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ Court and County Court building was sold on 11 August 2014
3. Monthly cost based on financial year data 2012/13 and 2013/14 in order to address rates rebates in 2013/14
4. Monthly cost based on financial year data 2012/13 and 2013/14 in order to address rates rebates and accounting adjustments made in 2013/14
5. Monthly costs includes spend for associated office, The Villa.
6. Costs are not comparable between financial years due to events such as rebates for rates, utilities, facilities management and telephony.
