Epsom County Court Closure
August 19, 2010 6:00 AM
Epsom County Court was recently relocated to East Street. The public money spent on refurbishment will be wasted if the court is closed.
Epsom and Ewell Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has issued a statement expressing their concern about the impact of the proposed closure of Epsom County Court. The fear is that closure will limit access to justice for residents of Epsom and Ewell. The CAB is also concerned about the adverse effect on the level of homelessness in the borough.
County Courts such as Epsom deal amongst other things with claims for debt repayment and housing disputes, including mortgage and council rent arrears and re-possession. If the County Court is relocated to Guildford or Reigate as proposed, people facing repossession may be unable to attend hearings. The CAB says this will seriously damaging their chances of remaining in their homes, as it is generally agreed that non-attendance at court by the householder significantly increases the chances of a possession order being granted.
The effect of these people becoming homeless would prove costly. The cost to council tax payers of providing temporary accommodation and subsequent re-housing exceeds £5,000 per case per year. The local CAB successfully assisted over 150 householders last year who were facing potential homelessness, saving council tax payers substantial amounts in housing costs. If those whose homelessness the CAB help to prevent were to lose their homes, much of the savings from the court closure would be lost in temporary housing costs.
In the case of people seeking compensation for faulty goods or trying to get repayment of debts will be adversely affected by the extra time and cost of travel to more distant courtrooms.
Those wishing to express a view can currently respond to an on-line consultation by the Ministry of Justice, see the Related Link below. (Scroll down to question 4 - the earlier questions concern Magistrates Courts.)