Lawyers fighting the closure of Spalding Magistrates’ Court and sweeping changes in the criminal justice system have won the backing of MP John Hayes.
Mr Hayes is so far the only Lincolnshire MP to agree to meet solicitors who are protesting about a proposed legal system driven by money rather than fairness.
Closure of the Spalding court would mean South Holland defendants and witnesses facing costly and time consuming journeys to other towns – and lawyers fear only three magistrates’ courts will be left to serve the county.
Government cuts in Legal Aid will see four companies awarded cut-price contracts to represent Lincolnshire clients from June next year – and those contracts could go to firms like security company G4S or even transport giant Eddie Stobart.
Leading lawyer Mike Alexander says the criminal justice system will be completely smashed apart and poorer people will be treated unfairly.
Defendants will not have a choice of legal representative – someone will be appointed for them – and all 18 of Lincolnshire’s law firms who do Legal Aid work oppose the changes.
On Friday, Mr Alexander, from Criminal Defence Associates, his colleague Rachel Stevens, and Ringrose solicitor Giles Tyas represented all of the town’s Legal Aid lawyers at a meeting with the South Holland and The Deepings MP.
Mr Alexander said: “He indicated in a very positive way that he was a supporter of all of the courts left in the county and would fight to keep all of the courts open, obviously particularly Spalding.
“As far as he could see there is no Government reason for Spalding to shut.”
Mr Alexander said Mr Hayes was “very sympathetic” to the lawyers’ position on Legal Aid.
“Obviously, he wasn’t making any promises but he said he was going to take it up,” he said. “I was very, very impressed with John Hayes. I actually thought he was very intelligent and demonstrated understanding of the position and cared – more than anything else he cared.”
Mr Hayes told the Free Press he is “absolutely determined” to ensure the Spalding court doesn’t close.
He said: “I believe in the principle of local communities exercising local justice.”
Mr Hayes has already met Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling to ask him to keep Spalding’s court open and will now take up with him issues surrounding Legal Aid, particularly concerning poorer people accessing proper legal representation.
“I personally take that very seriously,” he said. “I have a strong prejudice in favour of the disadvantaged.”