Douglas warning on effects of job losses

Job cuts in the courts service must not result in court closures, the chief executive of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has warned.

Anthony Douglas said it was too early to judge the impact on family justice of the planned 1,000 job losses.

But he warned: “We’d be worried if courts closed. Potentially there’s a big impact.”

The cuts, which cover nearly 5 per cent of the courts workforce, were described as “extremely disappointing” by the Magistrates’ Association.

A spokesperson said it would be “unacceptable” if the cuts led to a reduction in the number of justices’ clerks or legal advisers as this would affect support for magistrates.