Court buildings across Scotland require more than £7.3 million worth of repairs, with Jedburgh and Selkirk’s Sheriff Courts in need of almost £100,000 of this investment.
A recent freedom of information request revealed that essential maintenance work was required in Jedburgh and Selkirk, as well as upgrades to court room components.
The total cost of the repairs across all courts in Scotland equates to almost the entire £8 million capital budget of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) – so there’s no guarantee that all the ‘essential’ maintenance will go ahead.
That capital budget was £5 million less than the £13 million the SCTS had requested from the Scottish Government.
It had previously been revealed how the courts were told by the SNP that justice was no longer a priority – and this is manifesting itself in the dilapidated court buildings that risk being forced to close, causing delays to trials.
Borders MSP Rachael Hamilton joined her party’s justice spokesman, Jamie Greene, in slamming the SNP for short-changing our court service and warned that a failure to carry out the repair work risked the enormous backlog of court cases growing even larger.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“As the two Sheriff Courts in the Borders continue to tackle a backlog of cases from the pandemic, it is disappointing to see their workplace neglected by the Scottish Government.
“The scale of repair work required to keep our courts safe, habitable and up to date is truly shocking.
“If the SNP want to get a handle on court backlogs, they will need to direct more investment in to the court services.
“The court service requested this – but they continue to be ignored and short-changed to the tune of £5 million by ministers.
“The SNP have already made it abundantly clear that justice is not a priority for them. Now we are seeing the consequences of their neglect – potential court delays because essential maintenance to keep them open cannot be carried out due to lack of funds.
“There are dozens of trials outstanding in courts here in the Borders, leaving victims of crime waiting years for justice. This number could get even larger if the state of our courts is not addressed as a matter of urgency.
“By allowing our courts to crumble and ignoring the calls of the SCTS, the SNP are letting down victims of crime, who should be able to see the swift justice they deserve.”
