Kevin Drummond has hit out at the plans to shut Peebles’s court after it was described as a ‘model’ for the way forward.
The Borders sheriff appeared before the Scottish Parliament’s justice committee on Tuesday, giving evidence on his views about the Scottish Court Service’s (SCS) reforms.
At Tuesday’s hearing Eric McQueen, chief executive of the SCS, said: “Peebles could be a good model for a justice centre, but it simply doesn’t have the business.”
The building in which Peebles Sheriff Court sits is council-owned and also houses the police station and social work and child welfare staff, something the SCS is seeking to replicate in justice centres.
At the hearing, Sheriff Drummond said Peebles was the ‘classic’ example of how rural justice could be provided effectively.
Speaking to TheSouthern, he added: “If this is the position of the Scottish Court Service in relation to Peebles then there is only one decision, and that is that it should remain open.”
He added that the impact of the closures on other agencies, such as the police, had not been examined.
He said: “The Scottish Court Service should be looking at savings from the public purse, not moving the costs from one pocket to another.”
Speaking to MSPs on Tuesday, Sheriff Drummond said: “Instead of having people travelling to a central court, we should have the sheriff travelling to the people.”
He also called for the decision on ‘contentious closures’ to be put on hold until at least indicative costs were worked out and alternatives explored.
Local solicitor Iain Burke echoed the sheriff’s view. He said: “Peebles and Duns courts are very efficient, and are effective ways of delivering rural justice.
“Closing them may make savings in the SCS budget, but with police time and legal aid, the costs of providing rural justice will increase.
“They are simply shuffling the costs around.”