RESIDENTS and organisations across Selby have been urged to back the fight to keep the town’s magistrates’ court open.

The town council is asking residents whether they would support a landmark legal challenge against the decision in December to close the court, which came despite a campaign which saw members of the town council join local organisations and residents to present a petition of more than 2,500 signatures to Downing Street.

The town council and magistrates have been told that the only course now open to them is to seek a judicial review of the decision – an expensive and lengthy process.

Coun Doreen Davies said: “The Government is talking about the Big Society, and dealing with local issues at a local level. We believe keeping Selby magistrates court open would be a good way to keep up with that. I think we should go for the judicial review, but we need to get our begging bowl out. A lot of money has been spent on it, and the people who appear there either won’t be able to or won’t want to travel to York for their appearances.”

Town clerk Tina Mason said: “It’s a very costly process for a town council to go into and we need to know whether the town is behind us before we go any further.”

The first step would be to enlist a solicitor, which would cost an estimated £7,500, to examine the likely success of a judicial review.

Ms Mason said: “If we decide to take that step and find there’s a chance we could win, there’s another decision to be made – whether to continue the appeal, which we have been told could cost tens of thousands of pounds. We only have until March 15 to lodge an appeal, but we need to know that as a town council we are doing what’s best for the town. If people are not interested, then we won’t do it.”

The town council has urged residents and representatives of organisations in Selby to come to the council meeting at 7pm on Monday, February 28, to give their opinions on whether the fight should be taken further.