BOLTON'S Labour Party has backed the BEN's campaign to save the town's magistrates courts.

Local party chiefs threw their weight behind the paper's campaign to stop plans to close the courts at a group meeting.

They rejected the Greater Manchester Magistrates Court Committee's (GMMCC) argument that the "inherent constraints" of the Le Mans Crescent Courts meant they should be closed.

Opposed

John Hartshorne, chairman of the Bolton Labour Party's local government committee, said: "We are strongly opposed to the proposed closure of the Bolton Magistrates Courts and will do everything in our power to retain the magistrates courts in Bolton.

"We support the BEN campaign for access to local justice."

The committee said the fact that Bolton's courts were the second busiest in the county "established a need" for it to be kept open.

It said it was also worried that future staff at other courts would not be recruited from the Bolton area and closure would lead to a drain of solicitors from the town, further cutting people's local access to the law.

It also said that it was important that Bolton continued to provide its own magistrates who could apply their local knowledge on local cases.

A detailed explanation of the reasons behind the proposals is expected from the GMMCC next month to coincide with a consultation period.

Copies of the BEN petition calling for the magistrates courts to remain open are available from our reception on Churchgate.

More than 1,000 people have already backed the campaign. A dossier of articles and copies of the petition will be sent to the Lord Chancellor.