MP asks Justice Secretary to restore court sittings in Kendal

This week in Parliament, local MP Tim Farron challenged the Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy to restore court sittings in Kendal.

In 2017, Kendal Magistrates Court on Burneside Road was closed by the Ministry of Justice, with the understanding that that the Town Hall would be used the alternative court provision for Kendal residents.

However, there have been no court sittings at the Town Hall since the covid pandemic.

Speaking during Justice Questions in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Timsaid: “Kendal Magistrates Court was outrageously closed in 2017, on the promise that sittings would continue in other public buildings in Kendal, yet there has not been a single sitting in Kendal since 2020.

“Will the Justice Secretary put this right urgently, so that that promise can be kept and local people can have reasonable access to justice?”

David Lammy replied: “The honourable gentleman knows that the Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising caseload. 

“He also knows that the last Government closed courts right across the country. We are legislating for structural reform. 

“We are investing £2.78 billion to bring down the backlog. We will continue to look closely at the needs in Kendal, but he recognises that it will take some time to address what we inherited.”