THE fight against controversial plans to close Bolton Magistrates Court took a new twist today.

Bolton Council has commissioned a university professor to conduct an independent survey into the effects closing the court would have on the town -- and on local justice.

Bill Kapila, aged 46, a partner at leading consultancy and training firm KTM in Stockport, will also study the impact any closure would have on businesses and court users.

Civic chiefs see the study as a chance to prove why Bolton's bench should not be closed while cementing their determination to fight the controversial proposals.

The Greater Manchester Magistrates Courts Committee (GMMCC) wants to close Bolton and Salford's magistrates courts because, it says, they are too expensive to modernise.

Under the controversial scheme, Bolton cases would be dealt with by courts in Manchester, Bury and Trafford.

The GMMCC also believes that the two courts are outdated.

But protesters believe either modernising the current building in Le Mans Crescent or constructing a new one, with the cost being shared between the Government, the private sector and local authorities, would be the best option.

Professor Kapila will start his independent study immediately.

Bolton Council leader Cllr Bob Howarth said: "Clearly at a time when there is over-capacity in courts in the south of Greater Manchester, while courts in the north are full, the GMMCC's plans go counter to this.

"By working with a quality consultant such as Professor Kapila we can assess precisely what affect the proposed changes will have on local people and how they receive justice."

Meanwhile, a GMMCC consultation document into the planned closure is due to be published in December -- more than a month after it was planned to be released.

Cllr Howarth said the delay was an admission that the GMMCC "had not done its job properly."

Professor Kapila: "I will be looking at the whole range of likely affects the proposed changes will have, such as the effect on court staff, the police, the probation service, defendants and witnesses, taking into account the views of a wide variety of stakeholders."

The study is expected to be completed by mid-January.

More than 4,000 BEN readers have signed a petition to stop the courts being closed.