J.P.s SHOULD BE CIRCUMSPECT IN THEIR PUBLIC COMMENTS

The Ministry of Justice and its various mouthpieces are never slow in letting it be known from all available rooftops that this or that initiative will provide more efficient whatever at reduced cost thus benefitting all of us taxpayers.......Lo! and the water was turned into wine thus reducing the catering bill at Petty France.

Civil servants will say whatever their masters instruct but Justices of the Peace are above politics in their primary function as judicial office holders.  For a Bench Chairman to comment in the press on the advantages of  the amalgamation of two benches, insofar as most colleagues whilst appreciating the financial requirements imposed by “austerity” would argue that these supposed benefits are unlikely to cover court users of all shades,  is IMHO a step too far in playing favours to government.  To quote a section of comment by the newly elected Bench Chairman of South Cumbria area; Ms Farmer said: "Our aim will be to combine the benches in a way that users of the courts in Kendal and Barrow see no change in the service we provide whilst improving the co-ordination and efficiency of the arrangements across the south of the county”.  

 I would argue that such comments are the prerogative of the HMCTS mouthpiece in the area and whether or not her colleagues agree or were consulted prior to her interview she would have been wiser to have held  her tongue.