COUNTY councillors are calling on the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary to reverse the ‘deplorable’ transfer of remand cases from Hereford to Kidderminster.

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service moved remand cases from Hereford to Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court in April this year.

But councillor Chris Chappell says justice is being compromised since this move and it has made it more difficult for people without their own transport to attend court.

Herefordshire Council unanimously agreed on Friday, July 13 that it deplores the transfer of remand cases from Hereford to Kidderminster and asked leader Jonathan Lester to call on  David Gauke, the justice secretary, to right a wrong and return such cases to Hereford.

Coun Chappell, who proposed the motion, said: “Gone is the local knowledge of the area involved or the understanding of local issues.

“The defendant’s local solicitor, who might know the defendant’s personal problems and some other background issues involved, now has to take a 75-mile round trip to Kidderminster with all the extra time or cost involved.

“Or, instruct a solicitor from Kidderminster to act on his or her behalf, the former costs a lot of money and the later possible poor representation by a solicitor who has little or no knowledge of the background of the case.”

Councillor Carole Gandy, who seconded the motion, said there was only one van to take prisoners to the hearings in Kidderminster.

She said: “People who surrender after about 6am will be held in the cell until the next day.

“It is said that some people being arrested for a breach of bail are now being held in police cells for 24 hours and awaiting a hearing due to their only being a single bus to Kidderminster Magistrates’.”

She also said anyone discharged from Kidderminster would take several hours to get back to the ward she represents.

A consultation response produced by the Ministry of Justice last year said it was thought that centralising overnight remand cases to Kidderminster rather than Worcester would be more accesible to Herefordshire.

However, there are direct train and bus routes to Worcester from Hereford, as opposed to Kidderminster, and the Worcestershire county town is around 8 miles closer.

A spokesperson for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service explained they were investing more than £1 billion to reform and modernise the justice system and to deliver swifter justice and provide better value for the taxpayer.

She said: “Following a public consultation, remand cases were moved from Hereford to Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court to improve listings and trial management at Hereford.

“It’s always been our intention to review how these changes are working in practice and an event later this month will provide key agencies and professional court users with the opportunity to share their views.

“We continue to work with them and other partners to resolve any concerns raised.”