MAGISTRATES have criticised “severe and swift” Government cuts as their Didcot courthouse prepares to hear its last case today.

The 54-year-old Mereland Road court was listed for closure under cost-cutting plans announced last year, despite a £1.4m revamp six years ago.

Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) hopes to save more than £15m a year by axeing 93 magistrates’ courts and 49 county courts.

Witney Magistrates’ Court closed in April and Bicester Magistrates’ Court is set to shut in April 2013.

Ann Dendy, chairman of the Southern Oxfordshire Bench of Magistrates, said: “We accept that there has to be cuts but they just seem quite severe.

“This is a court that is fit for purpose. It also is next to a police station. It ticked all the boxes and yet it was chosen to shut down.”

There will soon be just two magistrates’ courts in the county – Oxford and Banbury. Abingdon and Henley courts closed in 1999, followed by Wantage in 2009.

Mrs Dendy said the biggest concern was how defendants would get to Oxford.

She said: “It is not impossible, but it just adds another pressure to their chaotic lives.

“Until now, local miscreants have been judged by local people in their local area. But now everything is being centralised and that is one of the things we will lose.

“We also have a lot more houses being built – it just feels wrong that there is nowhere for local justice.

“The cuts are severe and swift and we are having to make the best we can now.”

Currently 43 magistrates sit at Didcot.

Margaret Davies, leader of the Labour-controlled Didcot Town Council, said: “It is very unfortunate that there has been pressure to cost-cut at the cost of local justice.

“There is no doubt that this will have an effect on how people will see justice being done locally.

“It is particularly sad as it is a fairly modern purpose-built court. It is difficult to see what else could be done with it – what a waste.”

In a letter to the court service last year, Margaret Reed, head of legal and democratic services at South Oxfordshire District Council, warned the closure could lead to an increase in defendants failing to turn up to court.

Didcot court was revamped in 2005 following a number of security breaches.

HMCS spokesman Mark Kram said the closures would make the system “much more cost-effective”.

He said: “Keeping under-utilised courts open is simply not a good use of taxpayers’ money.

“Resources must be targeted to best effect in order to provide value for money.”