Almost £170,000 of public money could be spent on boilers at Peterhead Sheriff Court – as well as a further £25,000 on “internal decorations”.
A Freedom of Information request from the Scottish Conservatives has revealed a lengthy and pricey list of work required at court buildings up and down the country.
Among the data is an estimated £169,000 to be spent on boilers at Peterhead Sheriff Court, £50,000 for damp repairs from the basement of Wick Sheriff Court, and £10,000 on a “sheriff door entrance” at Inverness Justice Centre.
North East region Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said: “These figures represent a clear threat to local justice at our sheriff courts.
‘Safety and security is a key priority’
“Allowing buildings like Banff and Peterhead to deteriorate just runs the risk of complete closure.
“And the enormous backlog of criminal trials will only get worse if staff, witnesses and accused end up travelling significant distances to see justice done.”
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, £25,000 is the estimated cost of finishing the installation of emergency lights.
A £50,000 car park installation is also planned for Banff Sheriff Court.
At Fort William Sheriff Court, refurbishment to the vulnerable witness suite is expected to cost £18,000.
A string of repairs and other work are listed in relation to Inverness Justice Centre, including £25,000 for “handrail replacement” and £10,000 for a sheriff door entrance.
In addition, a further £8,000 is the expected cost of a “front door security portal”, and another £9,000 for “monoblocking uplifting”.
The cost of work of real bollards in the car park was still to be confirmed.
Oban Sheriff Court would need £28,000 for works to its cell block.
In addition to the £169,000 for boilers at Peterhead Sheriff Court, and £25,000 for internal decorations, an air handling unit upgrade has been priced up at £80,000, as well as £7,000 for CCTV.
No instances of maintenance issues causing closure
And finally, damp repairs from the basement of Wick Sheriff Court are estimated to cost £50,000.
A spokesman for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) said: “The safety and security of all those who use court and tribunal facilities is a key priority for SCTS.
“We have an extensive and historic estate across Scotland which we maintain to ensure that business can be conducted in a safe environment.
“Similar to all organisations with a large property estate, effective management and planning of backlog maintenance is key to ensuring that the most essential works are carried out as a priority.
“In addition to the annual budget settlement, we work closely with Scottish Government to secure additional in-year capital funding, to match our maintenance programme.
“There have been no instances where an SCTS building maintenance issue has resulted in a court closure or impacted on any trials.”
