Shrewsbury court users are benefitting from a state of the art new justice centre thanks to £5m of government funding.

• former magistrates’ court transformed into justice centre
• refurbishment includes two new courtrooms and improved security
• part of HMCTS’ £1bn reform programme

Crown Court and social security cases will be heard at the town’s former magistrates’ court, which has been completely refurbished since its closure in 2016.

Officially opened today (Friday 12th April) by the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, Lady Justice Macur, the justice centre is part of HMCTS’ commitment to improving the condition of court buildings and access to justice for all users.

The investment allowed two crown courtrooms and an adaptable tribunal hearing room to be built as well as a full refurbishment of communal and office space and improved security features throughout the building.

Justice Minister, Lucy Frazer said:

We want to provide the best experience possible for the victims, witnesses, staff and legal professionals who use our courts every day and we have invested £5m here in Shrewsbury to do just that. This new centre will ensure continued access to justice for years to come.

Resident Judge, His Honourable Judge P. Barrie said:

Local judges are delighted to move into Shrewsbury Justice Centre at the former magistrates’ court building. The old site has been extensively refurbished to accommodate juries and now promises a much improved working environment for everyone involved with the court.

The investment is part of HMCTS’ ambitious £1bn reform programme, designed to bring new technology and modern ways of working to the justice system. This is in addition to £15m announced by the Chancellor last year to improve court buildings in England and Wales.

The reform programme is already benefitting people up and down the country with more than 150,000 using HMCTS’ online justice services in 2018.

Interim manager appointed to address continued concerns

The Charity Commission has appointed Emma Moody to the role of interim manager at Mohiuddin Trust (1105585), a charity with objects to relieve poverty and advance education and training for the public benefit. The appointment was made due to continued concerns over the management of the charity.

Interim managers are appointed to take over the running of a charity where the Commission has identified misconduct or mismanagement, or there is a need to protect the charity’s property.

The Commission opened a statutory inquiry into Mohiuddin Trust on 5 December 2018 to examine concerns over potential misconduct and mismanagement at the charity. This includes a serious ongoing dispute at the charity and questions about whether those in control of the charity have fulfilled their legal obligations in managing the charity.

Sufficient progress to resolve the dispute has not been made, which continues to impact the day-to-day running of the charity. The Commission therefore exercised its legal powers to appoint an interim manager to the charity on 25 March 2019. Emma Moody of Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP takes on full control of the administration and management of the charity until the Commission makes a further order.

She will have all the powers and duties of a trustee to the exclusion of anyone purporting to be a trustee of the charity. Her duties will include restoring the charity’s governance and ensuring the proper management and administration of the charity.

The Commission’s inquiry continues.

Ends

Notes to Editors

• The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. For more information see the about us page on GOV.UK
• Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission power to appoint interim managers to a charity.
• It is the Charity Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK
• The appointment of an interim manager is a temporary and protective measure.

New laws introduced in the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 have today (12 April) come into force.