Skipton councillors have voiced concerns about the future of the town's Magistrates' Court, which has quietly seen work relocated to other venues within the county.
According to a report in The Craven Herald and Pioneer there have been no trials at Skipton since before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with the cases being handled at Harrogate (22 miles away), York (44 miles away) and even Scarborough Magistrates' Courts (82 miles away) instead.
There are no direct public transport links between Skipton and Harrogate, which means the journey, via Bradford, takes at least one-and-a-half hours for anyone relying on the train and bus.
Councillor David Staveley, who represents the Ribblesdale division on North Yorkshire County Council, described the changes as "absolute lunacy".
Speaking at a recent meeting, he said: "I just don't think this is acceptable in any way shape or form.
"It's very difficult to get public transport out of Craven in the direction of the alternative law courts that have been suggested – not least the ones at the far flung reaches of the county.
"We must make a stand on this as we have done before."
Councillor Andy Solloway, who represents the Skipton West division on the Council, said that people should not have to travel "miles and miles to get justice".
Skipton Magistrates' Court has survived previous closure threats in 2001 and 2010. In 2010 there was public outcry at plans to close the court, which was retained on the grounds of access to justice.
As recently as 2018, in its response to the public consultation on the proposed closure of Northallerton Magistrates' Court, the Ministry of Justice reiterated its commitment to retaining the Skipton venue.
A spokesperson for the HM Courts and Tribunals Service said: "While listing is a judicial function, the pandemic forced some cases to be moved to ensure cases could be heard safely and with minimum delay.
"Skipton Law Courts continue to hear civil and family cases and special arrangements can be made to hear cases locally.
"Although there is presently no scheduled trial time in Skipton, in individual cases travel distance can be considered when the case is listed and special arrangements can be made to hear cases locally."
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