BURY Magistrates’ Court closes today, leaving the community poorer for it, according to objectors.

The Tenters Street court has already heard its last case, and from Monday all Bury hearings will be dealt with at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court.

Bury County Court will remain open until April, when the whole building will close.

The Ministry of Justice had previously announced in February 2016 that the courts would close this year.

The decision was made by the then-Lord Chancellor, Michael Gove, after a report said that the court was being run at 51 per cent capacity, otherwise known as its 'utilisation rate'.

The ministry said it will save more than £500,000 per year in running costs by closing the courthouse.

Karen Lee, PCS union representative for Greater Manchester, said: “It is a very, very sad day for Bury.

“It is a real shame because the town is growing in population, there are new houses being built, new shopping centres, but there is a huge service being taken away.

“Justice isn’t the only thing affected, it seems like everything is going to Manchester these days.”

She said she though the closure of the magistrates’ court has not received as much public attention as other public service closures.

“With justice you only really miss it when you need it the most – people will only need it once or twice in their life.

“But it has a wider impact on other social services in the community who have to go to court to support people.

“Also those vulnerable people who have to go to court will find it much more difficult to go to Manchester.

“Many will have to pay up to £7 on public transport, and even then they might be held up and could be penalised.

“We feel it is a crying shame.”

There have been no compulsory job losses at the court, with some being moved to other courthouses in Greater Manchester and some taking voluntary redundancy.

Some staff have chosen to move to “more secure” job postings both inside and outside the Civil Service, according to Ms Lee.

One solicitor, remaining anonymous, told the MoJ: "The loss of the local court is likely to have serious impact on the economy of the area.

"It will undoubtedly mean that local solicitors already impacted by substantial changes to the criminal justice system will have to close."

An MoJ report said: “HM Courts & Tribunals Service acknowledge and accept that some people will need to travel further to reach their nearest court, and this may result in increased travel costs.

“However, we do not feel these travel times and costs are excessive considering the infrequency with which people are required to attend court.

“HM Courts & Tribunals Service will consider making alternative arrangements for those court users who are unable to travel for exceptional reasons.

"We are looking to modernise our practices and adopt more streamlined ways of working, using our estate more intelligently and flexibly to reduce running costs and to increase the multifunctional court space – allowing different court and tribunal jurisdictions to share locations.

"HM Courts & Tribunals Service will consider making alternative arrangements for those court users who are unable to travel for exceptional reasons."

Today, an MoJ spokesman added: “We have a world-leading legal system and are investing over £1billion to reform and digitise our courts to deliver swifter justice.

“Closing underused and dilapidated court buildings, allowing us to reinvest in the justice system and make the best use of technology.

"This will improve access to justice and improve the experience for all court users, in particular vulnerable victims and witnesses.”