Labour’s idea to create “pop-up courts” in town halls and civic buildings (Report, 26 December) is a good one. Local justice has been destroyed in many areas, due to the closure of magistrates courts. The MP Simon Reevell recently pointed out that someone from Wensleydale trying to get to their nearest court in Northallerton for a morning hearing would not get there till after midday if they used the local bus service. Courts need to be nearer the communities they serve, and local control should be restored to them. Before 2003, when magistrates courts committees were abolished, magistrates controlled the administration of their local courts. Now it is centralised and neither magistrates, nor councillors, nor local people have any real say in how local justice is administered. If pop-up courts are to succeed, local people need to run local courts.
Penelope Gibbs
Director, Transform Justice
• Earlier this year the Guardian printed my letter attacking the coalition government for suggesting pop–up courts so as to reduce the number of courts and undoubtedly sell the buildings off. Sadiq Khan has now stolen this idea. The idea is Kafkaesque, absurd and will remove the gravitas that emanates from the justice system. I suggest maybe the politicians try selling Westminster Palace, 10 Downing Street and other buildings used by the legislature, as the gravitas they are supposed to have has completely disappeared. The Commons, the Lords, the parliamentary committees and the cabinet could pop up in various places where they would not be remote from the people.
Besides, if Sadiq Khan and the Labour party were serious about removing the remoteness of the justice system, then they should abolish the fees in the employment tribunals and sort out the legal aid problem which is denying loads of innocent people access to the justice system.
Phil Cosgrove
London
