The 2007/08 maintenance budget for courts in London has been reduced by more than a million pounds, the Gazette can reveal.


The Courts Service denies it is a cut, claiming they are the result of 'a change in recording of staff costs'. The service also appears to have spent half a million pounds last year in 'estates strategy initiatives and plans', which it says were a one-off cost.



Following a Freedom of Information Act request by the Gazette, the Courts Service revealed that its budget for maintenance in the London region was cut from £19.15 million in the year ending 31 March 2007 to £18.07 million for the year ending 31 March 2008. The cuts came from the administrative side of the budget, with expenditure reduced by £1.24 million. Capital works costs will rise slightly in 2007/08.



A Courts Service spokesman said the London courts region 'seeks to maximise the operational benefit from its budget' and that changes between years happen 'where monies are directed to reflect greatest need'.



Rupert White