A Cumbrian MP has demanded that court sittings are restored in Kendal.
Tim Farron, who represents Westmorland & Lonsdale, challenged the Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy in Parliament this week.
Kendal Magistrates Court on Burneside Road was closed in 2017 by the Ministry of Justice.
Mr Farron said it was closed with the understanding that the town hall would be used as an alternative, but there had been no court sittings since the Covid pandemic.
During Justice Questions in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr Farron said: “Kendal Magistrates Court was outrageously closed in 2017, on the promise that sittings would continue in other public buildings in Kendal, yet there has not been a single sitting in Kendal since 2020.
“Will the Justice Secretary put this right urgently, so that that promise can be kept and local people can have reasonable access to justice?”
Mr Lammy replied: “The honourable gentleman knows that the Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising caseload.
“He also knows that the last Government closed courts right across the country. We are legislating for structural reform.
“We are investing £2.78 billion to bring down the backlog.
“We will continue to look closely at the needs in Kendal, but he recognises that it will take some time to address what we inherited.”
