IN May, Craven will go to the polls to elect a new Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to replace Julia Mulligan, the first commissioner for North Yorkshire and York who has served two terms, from 2012.

There are four candidates hoping to fill her shoes on May 6 - Philip Allott, Conservative; Alison Hume, Labour; James Barker, Liberal Democrat, and Independent, Keith Tordoff.

Skipton Magistrates Court has survived two attempts to close it, in 2001 and in 2010. There are no known current plans for its potential closure and although decisions to do with the court are not part of the crime commissioner’s remit, whoever does take up the post would be a strong voice if the court came under threat again.

Here is what the candidates say:

Philip Allott: “The Ministry of Justice is responsibility for magistrates courts, however as a potential future Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, I believe everyone should have access to justice where possible within or as near as possible to where they live.

“Any closure of Skipton Magistrates Court would place an unnecessary burden on locals due to the geography and it is therefore something if required I would challenge.

“I fully support Skipton retaining its own magistrates court, and given the 20,000 more police officers the government is currently appointing, it is likely that all courts will see an uplift in cases. So also taking into account the backlog of court cases nationally due to Covid-19, it is very important that Skipton magistrates court remains open and productive.

Alison Hume: “The courthouse closure programme across North Yorkshire has been massive and is sadly now irreversible. Delays in all courts are at record levels because of 10 years of Conservative cuts, court closures, reduced sitting days, and the government’s slow and incompetent response to the pandemic. In the Crown Courts victims of rape, violent assault, domestic abuse and other serious crimes are being left behind, with some facing delays of up to four years before they get justice. It’s hard to overestimate how damaging this backlog is to the lives of victims and their families.

“Skipton Magistrates does not fit with the usual arrangements for courts due to its geographical position and therefore I do not believe there is any prospect of Skipton closing in the foreseeable future.

Any closure would mean the splitting up of the criminal, civil and family work. Where would this work go? Harrogate? Bradford? York?

Travel, particularly public transport, from Skipton to Harrogate or York is difficult and slow.

Closing Skipton would be a huge blow for local people as well as being unjustifiable. Communities value local courts just as as they do police stations - therefore I would oppose any move to close Skipton or indeed any further courts in North Yorkshire.”

James Barker : “I believe it is important that the future of Skipton Magistrates Court is secured.

The justice system is already under enormous pressure and closing facilities such as the court in Skipton will simply add to the pressure elsewhere in the system.

It would increase time spent and travel costs for police officers, which is all time that could otherwise be spent catching criminals.

It could also undermine the delivery of justice itself, if witnesses and other participants in a case are reluctant to travel large distances at considerable expense in order to give evidence.

I am also concerned that local people would be less likely to become magistrates if the court were to close, which would undermine the motto of local justice by local people.

We would need to consider the impact that closing the magistrates court would have on the local economy as we seek to recover from the pandemic – it would be a cruel blow to Skipton’s people and its economy.”

Keith Tordoff: “The judicial system is struggling under the backlog of cases waiting to be heard due to the Covid crisis.

This is not the time to be looking to close down existing operational courts. The idea of closing any court in the current situation is going to add to an ever increasing wait for justice for victims and in some cases those ultimately found innocent of charges they are facing.

At a time in the country when the Government are considering opening emergency Nightingale Courts to deal with a backlog of cases, it would defy logic to consider closing Skipton Magistrates Court.

We need local Courts now more than ever. "