Brian Whittle MSP has criticised the Scottish Government for failing to address a growing backlog of repairs and maintenance in Scotland’s courts.
A series of Freedom of Information requests by the Scottish Conservatives revealed that court buildings across Scotland need more than £7.3 million of repairs.
Scotland’s Courts and Tribunals Service, which is responsible for looking after court buildings had requested £13 million from the SNP to clear the backlog and invest in necessary improvements, but the Scottish Government only provided £8 million. This means there’s no certainty that the budget will allow these essential repairs to go ahead.
Kilmarnock Sheriff Court alone needs more than £200,000 of work, including a new gas supply pipe, a replacement air handling unit and other internal works just to bring maintenance up to date.
With Scotland’s courts already facing a significant backlog in the aftermath of the pandemic, Brian is concerned that a lack of critical maintenance could put even more strain on the justice system.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“When staff in the court service are working hard to clear a large backlog of cases, they shouldn’t have to worry about the condition of the buildings they work in.
The court service recognised this, but it seems the SNP didn’t listen to their pleas for the necessary funds to make all the repairs and improvements required.
With victims of crime already facing long waits for justice, the prospect of further delays resulting from a lack of maintenance doesn’t bear thinking about.
The Scottish Government must ensure that the court service has the funding it needs to make all these repairs and deliver a better justice system for everyone.”
