Cumbrian MP Calls for Court Hearings to Return to Kendal

A Cumbrian MP has called on the government to restore court hearings in Kendal after claiming local justice services have effectively disappeared from the town.

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, raised the issue in Parliament during Justice Questions this week, pressing Justice Secretary David Lammy over the lack of magistrates’ court sittings in Kendal.

Kendal Magistrates’ Court on Burneside Road was closed by the Ministry of Justice in 2017. At the time, residents were told court sessions would continue in alternative public buildings within the town.

However, Farron told MPs that no sittings have taken place in Kendal since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he described the closure as “outrageous” and said local people were no longer able to access justice services conveniently.

He urged the government to act quickly to ensure the original promise of maintaining court access in Kendal was fulfilled.

In response, Justice Secretary David Lammy said the government had inherited a justice system facing significant pressures, including rising case backlogs and the impact of previous court closures across the country.

Lammy said the government was investing £2.78 billion to help reduce delays in the court system and added that officials would continue to examine the situation in Kendal.

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