The Scottish Court and Tribunals Service has confirmed that Duns Sheriff Court, which stopped hearing cases in January 2015, still hasn’t been sold off.
The facility was closed as part of a cost saving exercise over two years ago, however in response to a Freedom of Information request from the Scottish Conservatives, the Court Service admitted that Duns was one of 6 buildings not in use on a day-to-day basis and said that because the building was shared with Scottish Borders Council, it’s marketability was severely restricted.
The Court Service is still paying maintenance costs of the former courthouses that remain in its ownership.
Local MSP John Lamont, who voted against court closures in the Scottish Parliament, said the Court Service’s failure to make any money from selling off its share of the building highlights the senselessness of closing the court and forcing victims and witnesses to travel to Jedburgh or Selkirk Sheriff Courts.
John Lamont MSP said: “The SNP approved the closure of Duns and other Sheriff Courts despite warnings that it would damage access to justice and fail to save significant amounts of money.
“Now we learn that two years after closing its doors to cases, no money has been raised from the sale of the building and that the Court Service is still paying maintenance costs for a building it isn’t using. Scotland wide, courts worth over £1 million are lying empty.
“This just highlights the senselessness of closing Duns Court and forcing victims and witnesses to travel elsewhere. People will rightly be asking whether these unpopular closures were forced through without any thought as to what to do with the buildings afterwards.”