Ashford to Bear Weight of Criminal Justice Cuts

The Kentish Express this week identifies the proposed public sector saving cuts leave Ashford Magistrate Court and Ashford County court are threatened with closure.

In making the decisions as to what courts to close, it is likely that government will consider That the lack of custody suite is reasonable justification. This is because it will save money and demand on police and court staff time by simply using courts which already have immediate access from police cells.

Before the closure of Ashford Police Station's Custody suite, people who warned that this would lead to the closure of the magistrates court where accused of scaremongering.

Now, those of us who were accused of being cynical look on as proposals to close Ashford Magistrate Court gets underway.

Further Implications of the Closure of Custody Suite

As well as losing the jobs of those recruited to manage the custody suite, further jobs have been transferred to Folkestone within the Criminal Justice Unit as case working staff cannot work at such a distance.

One has to ask what is the cost to the public sector of paying both redeployee fees to those staff no longer needed within the police service, as well as travel fees for those relocated.

If spending cuts as proposed in the budget must be so severe, perhaps challenging current decisions to chop up and move around public services should be done in the first instance with the schedule of future losses, as would be normal in the private sector.

To narrow the argument, it can be seen as the least 60 jobs will have now gone from Ashford police station, to be followed by the staff of the magistrate court and potentially the County Court.

Therefore residents in Ashford lose both employment opportunities and public protection.

I do not wish to see this happen, and if you do not either, please take part in the consultation.

Portfolio Holder Councillor Michael Claughton is quoted as saying Communities must come first. Why did he not campaign in the first instance to prevent the removal of both the custody suite and the levels of community policing in Ashford town centre?