Closures of courts and tribunals in England and Wales announced

Nearly a fifth of all courts and tribunals in England and Wales are to close, the government has announced.

Eighty-six of 460 courts and tribunal hearing centres will shut as part of "modernisation" plans, HM Courts and Tribunal Service confirmed.

The reforms aim to reduce the £500m annual cost of the courts estate.

Ministers said 48% of court buildings were empty at least half of the time last year, but the Law Society warns closures could limit access to justice.

Crown courts, county courts, family courts, youth courts, civil courts and tribunal hearing centres are among the centres that will close.

The government has published a schedule for the closures, with six phases planned between now and September 2017.

In total, 86 of the 91 courts and tribunal hearing centres that had been under consultation for closure will shut, Justice Minister Shailesh Vara confirmed.

On average, the 86 courts due to be closed were only being used for just over a third of their available hearing time - equivalent to fewer than two days a week, he said.

More than 97% of citizens would still be able to reach their required court "by car within an hour" after the closures, he added.

Various groups have opposed the plans.

The Law Society, which represents solicitors, argues that many people using public transport would face long and expensive journeys.

It gave an example of a return journey from one Aylesbury court which had been due to close to the proposed alternative Milton Keynes, which it said would cost £71 and was a five-hour round trip.

Malcolm Richardson, national chairman of the Magistrates' Association, a charity which represents magistrates in England and Wales, said many of its members would be "very worried" about the impact of the closures.

"There will be inevitable additional pressure on the system and the paramount concern of magistrates is for accessible justice to be protected," he said.

The family law organisation Resolution, which represents 6,500 family lawyers and other professionals in England and Wales, called the government's plans a "simplistic, ill-thought through exercise".

"Those affected the most by these closures will be vulnerable people such as victims of domestic abuse, young people and those who rely on public transport to get around," it said.

In a written statement, Justice Minister Mr Vara said the closures were necessary because many court buildings were "expensive to maintain yet unsuitable for modern technology".

"Court closures are difficult decisions; local communities have strong allegiances to their local courts and I understand their concerns," he said.

"But changes to the estate are vital if we are to modernise a system which everybody accepts is unwieldy, inefficient, slow, expensive to maintain and unduly bureaucratic."

The following courts will close:

London

Midlands

North East

North West

South East

South West

Wales

The following courts will close with changes to the original government proposals - work will either move to another HM Courts & Tribunals Service site, or an alternative local location. Full details can be found on a court-by-court basis in the government's regional responses.

London

Midlands

North East

North West

South East

Wales

The following courts, which had been under consideration for closure as part of the government's consultation, will remain open:

North West

South West

Wales