SOUTH Lakes MP Tim Farron has invited Justice Secretary Michael Gove to visit Kendal’s court in a last-ditch attempt to save it from closure.

A Ministry of Justice consultation on shutting the Burneside Road building – along with 90 others across the country – is set to close on October 8.

Mr Farron has written to Mr Gove asking him to come to Kendal and look at “what an incredibly important venue it is.”

“I feel he will make a better decision if he sees it for himself,” Mr Farron said.

“I want him to see how purpose-built it is, and also get a sense of the geographical distance we are talking about.

“South Lakeland is an enormous space to be left without a single place of justice.

“I’d also like to take him to Kendal Police Station and chat to officers about how their workload will go up with having to take people to and from Barrow.”

Mr Farron said he also wanted to show Mr Gove who the court building serves, and see that a vast proportion of work there is family-related.

“When people are going through the tragedy of a relationship breaking down and the nearest court is Barrow or Carlisle, it’s a massive imposition,” he said.

A Kendal family lawyer has also warned that closing the court will put increased financial pressure on families going through divorce proceedings.

John Osborne, of Temple Heelis LLP, specialises in family matters, including representing clients in disputes relating to their children.

“Divorce, by its very nature, involves a strain on family finances,” he said.

“When people’s finances are stretched the last thing they need is a complicated and expensive journey to a court that’s an hour away – if they’re lucky enough to have a car.”

Mr Osborne added: “Cumbria has a unique population and you can’t just have two courts in larger places like Barrow and Carlisle – you need to have one in between.

“The pressure on judges to get things done in a day is going to increase, and justice will suffer as a result.”

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