SIR: I write regarding your article headed 'Bolton Set for £8m Court Fight' published in the Bolton Evenings News on May 25 1996 and your editorial comment on Monday May 27 1996.

While the matter is one of extreme disappointment for the Bolton Magistrates' Courts Committee and the public of Bolton, the Bolton Magistrates' Courts Committee have in no way at all given up on the matter. We shall continue with the utmost determination to pursue our aim of achieving a new court complex for Bolton, capable of taking us into the 21st Century. In this, we have the full support of the Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, local politicians and our national representatives. However, we have to ensure that fully comprehensive court facilities remain within the Bolton Metropolitan Borough and, with their total support, as a purely interim measure while we continue to pursue our ambitions, we have obtained additional premises adjacent to our courts in order to relieve pressure on our existing building for defendants, witnesses, solicitors, staff and other court users. This building will probably deal with family and non-criminal matters and should ensure that the Bolton courts will remain fully functional with no need for any transfer of business.

This does not mean the fight for our new court building will not proceed with the utmost vigour, but we hope this interim measure will at least ensure that full facilities remain in Bolton until our new courts development is hopefully given the go-ahead.

Frank Woods

Chairman of the

Bolton Magistrates'

Courts Committee

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.