TAVISTOCK magistrates launched a withering attack this week on the body proposing to close local courthouses, accusing it of wasting money.

In a written response to the magistrates' court committee's proposals, they said local justice was suffering as increasing amounts of money were wasted right across the board, from the Lord Chancellor's Office, through the Justices' chief executive to the MCC itself.

The report added that nothing had been said in the document about other avenues of cost-cutting and they accused the Justices' chief executive of wasting money providing themselves with new offices at Sutton Harbour when office accommodation was already available in Tavistock, which subsequently remained empty for two years, and Newton Abbot.

More money was spent soon afterwards when the executive relocated to Liskeard.

The magistrates also criticised the decision to spend money producing a personal log for all of Devon and Cornwall's magistrates and for maintaining the administration of Tavistock's court at Barnstaple instead of Plymouth, which the magistrates suggested, as far back as 1995, would be more cost-effective.

They urged the magistrates' court committee to reconsider the proposal for closure as the decision was based on inaccurate statistics about court capacity and use, a point acknowledged by MCC chairman John Maunder and Justices' chief executive Robert Hutley at the presentation of the plan at Okehampton last month.

'Have these figures been corrected, and do the results still justify such draconian measures?' the report asked, adding: 'We cannot emphasise too strongly the need to retain at least one court in the rural area of West Devon and North East Cornwall to comply with the Lord Chancellor's stated promise of the 'continued provision of local justice' in December 1999.'

l Former chairman of the bench John Montgomery said West Devon Borough Council had offered to up-grade the Okehampton court, based at the council offices, to meet the modern requirements for a courtroom. He said the council had also offered the rooms at the Tavistock site, soon to be vacated by West Devon Homes.

'The council offices would be ideal, as there is disabled access and plenty of parking,' he said.

l See story — page 13.