Carmarthenshire Council executive board calls for court to remain in Carmarthen
Carmarthenshire's executive board is calling for a court presence to be kept in Carmarthen. It follows a meeting today where members discussed the proposal by the Ministry of Justice to close both courts in the town. The plan is to shut both the Carmarthen Law Courts at the Guildhall and the civil, family, tribunal and probate hearing centre at Hill House. Figures show that usage of the Guildhall is low and Hill House operates at a capacity of around 51%. The proposal is to transfer the court business to either Swansea, Haverfordwest or Aberystwyth. The Ministry of Justice has included predicted travel times within its consultation document. However, Carmarthenshire’s executive board has questioned the accuracy of the figures which they say underestimate travel times from rural areas, and do not take into account frequency of buses or other modes of public transport. Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole said the board’s concern was that it would be very difficult for many people living...