MAGISTRATES from West Devon will meet next week to discuss their battle plan in the fight to keep courts open at Tavistock and Okehampton.
The courts have been earmarked for closure by Devon and Cornwall magistrates' courts committee, part of a cost-cutting exercise announced last month.
John Montgomery, last year's chairman of the West Devon bench, was scathing about the cuts, which were announced some time before staff were officially informed.
'We have got two meetings about it next week — one with our own bench and the other with the magistrates' courts committee.
'We are going to develop a reply to the letter which eventually arrived on Saturday morning,' he said.
'It's all money-orientated, it's nothing to do with providing a service to people,' he said.
Mr Montgomery said West Devon had to be treated as a special case, because the area was so rural.
If the courts committee's proposals are adopted, central and West Devon will be left without a court house — attendees would have to travel to Barnstaple or Plymouth.
The committee states that residents in Devon should have access to court houses within 'reasonable travelling time'.
This is defined as one hour by private transport for 95 per cent of the population, two hours by public transport for 75 per cent of people.
The consultation paper states a 'detailed consideration' had been taken of the facilities at present.
'This has identified a number of properties which either cannot be brought up to the required standard without great expense or the locality could be equally or better served by another courthouse which is reasonably accessible.
'In these cases closure seems the only option.'
Responses to the proposals can be sent to the Justices' Chief Executive's Unit, North Quay House, Sutton Harbour, Plymouth PL4 0RA, to arrive no later than April 7, 2000.