Statement from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council on the Lisburn Courthouse Announcement

February 9, 2016

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council is extremely disappointed with the Justice Minister’s announcement that the Lisburn Courthouse will close.  This effectively means the Lisburn & Castlereagh area will be the only city council area in Northern Ireland without a Courthouse. 

The Chairman of the Council’s Governance and Audit Committee, Alderman William Leathem, said: There has been the widest political, community and voluntary support for months for the retention of the Lisburn Courthouse and the Council has been fully engaged through consultation and discussion in opposing this decision.

“The timing of the announcement is very frustrating.  Firstly, the Council is vexed at the speed of the decision, given the most recent consultation period closed on the 3rd February; yet the decision has just been announced and it is reported the Courthouse is to close this summer.

Secondly, just as the new Councils are coming into their first year of operation, with responsibility for new Community Planning powers which are to integrate public life, in partnership, with groups, organisations and statutory bodies; we learn that in a council area that has three prisons and a Probation Board Office and a host of support sectors which dovetail into the many aspects of life around a courthouse, that part of the fabric that has been in Lisburn for decades is to close.  This will be a devastating loss for the City.

“We will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister in order to put forward our deep concerns.  I will also be reiterating our views, namely that the Lisburn Courthouse should be retained for family and children’s court services, given sensitivities within this area of the law, coupled with problems of overcrowding in other courts for the people concerned, including the vulnerable.

“Our objective is to give our area a voice for what is needed, for our economy, for the people who work in and who are connected to the Courthouse; whilst ensuring that stakeholders’ views and considerations are met,” concluded Alderman Leathem.