The UK Government’s proposal to merge the three magistrates’ benches in north Wales into a single administrative structure covering six counties and nearly 2,400 square miles risks undermining a principle that should lie at the heart of our legal system: that justice should be both local and accessible – and in Wales, it must also be bilingual.
Magistrates are the backbone of local justice. They are volunteers who give their time to serve communities across the country. In North West Wales, this means delivering justice not only close to home but also in the Welsh language. The Caernarfon justice centre, in my own constituency, is not only the regional base of magistrates’ work but also home to His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service’s Welsh Language Unit. It is a court that routinely operates in both Welsh and English, reflecting the linguistic reality of the area. In Caernarfon itself, around 85% of the population speaks Welsh, and across Gwynedd and Ynys Môn – the two counties currently served by the North West Wales bench – Welsh is widely used in homes, workplaces and public life.
The Ministry of Justice’s proposal to merge North East, North Central, and North West Wales benches into one new bench may seem like administrative efficiency, but to many in the region, it risks diluting local knowledge and dismantling hard-won bilingual provision.
As I raised in Parliament this week, the logistical implications are serious. A magistrate living in Pen Llŷn currently travels around 40 minutes to Caernarfon. Under the proposed changes, they may be asked to sit up to 40% of their time in courts as far away as Wrexham – potentially a two-hour drive each way.
In her response, the Minister confirmed that magistrates’ sitting patterns would be determined case by case, with individual circumstances and language preferences taken into account. While this offers some reassurance, it remains unclear whether this will be applied consistently, or how it will be monitored.
The Minister also recognised that creating a bench based on the very large geographical area of the Dyfed-Powys criminal justice area in Wales would be impractical. The same should be recognised for us in north Wales as well.
The Minister also pledged that a full Welsh language impact assessment would be published alongside the final proposals, and I welcome that commitment. The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Welsh Language Standards oblige public bodies to provide services in Welsh and to assess the linguistic consequences of any policy that affects people in Wales. However, it is deeply concerning that this assessment was not carried out from the outset of the consultation process. A reactive approach to language rights does little to inspire confidence.
Bilingual justice is not a nice-to-have in Wales; it is a right. The Welsh Government’s ambition to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050 must be matched by the UK Government’s commitment to uphold the linguistic rights of Welsh speakers in essential public services – especially in the legal system, where the right to express oneself fully and clearly can have life-altering consequences.
Since 2010, court closures across rural Wales have already reduced access to justice. Pwllheli, Llangefni, Dolgellau and Holyhead have all lost their courts, centralising operations in Caernarfon. Magistrates have adapted. But the cumulative impact of these changes – compounded by this proposed reform – risks exhausting the goodwill of the very people who keep the system going.
In response to my concerns, the Minister rightly acknowledged the strength and commitment of Welsh magistrates. She also confirmed that the consultation had received over 1,400 responses, including from local leaders and magistrates. Encouragingly, she stressed that the Government is “in listening mode.” That is welcome, but words must be followed by meaningful action. We have seen in Dyfed-Powys that exceptions can be made where geography renders proposed changes impractical. North West Wales deserves the same consideration.
I urge the UK Government to go further. Retain the current benches where they reflect meaningful differences in language, geography, and community identity. Commit to recruiting and retaining Welsh-speaking magistrates. Ensure that magistrates are not penalised for living in rural areas or for choosing to serve their communities in the Welsh language.
Local justice should reflect local communities – not just in where it is delivered, but in how. For North West Wales, that means justice delivered in the language of the people, by magistrates who know and understand their communities.
We await the final outcome of the consultation later this year. But one principle must remain non-negotiable: local justice must remain both local and bilingual. Anything less would be a disservice not only to the Welsh language, but to the very concept of justice itself.
Welsh language justice is a right, not a luxury
