2/3/2010
LANCASHIRE'S new coroner's court and offices will be officially opened next week.
The opening ceremony will take place at 11:30 on Tuesday, February 9 at the new facility which is based on Faraday Court in the Fulwood district of Preston.
The Coroner’s jurisdiction of Preston and West Lancashire, which covers Preston, South Ribble, Chorley, West Lancashire, Wyre, Fleetwood, Lancaster and Morecambe, moved to its new base in Fulwood in September of last year.
Lancashire County Council invested over £300,000 in the new accommodation which is fully accessible for disabled people. It has several features that mean the service is better able to meet the needs of the bereaved at difficult times in their lives.
Those features include two court rooms to accommodate the 450 inquests held in the jurisdiction each year, private rooms for families and legal representatives and sufficient space for administrative staff and adequate parking.
The new court also has:
• a smaller court that will be less intimidating for smaller inquests
• facilities for jury inquests
• technology so that vulnerable witnesses can be protected
• the ability to make digital recordings of proceedings
• proper sound-proofing to ensure confidentiality
The new building will not affect local inquests held in courts in Lancaster, Fleetwood and Ormskirk which will continue to be heard in these courts.
The coroner's court will be officially opened by the Deputy Leader of Lancashire County Council and cabinet member for communities and partnerships, CC Albert Atkinson: "While for the vast majority of people, a visit to the coroner's court is an experience they find very difficult, we can at least try to make things as comfortable as possible for them while they're there.
"The new court is a state-of-the-art facility and has hugely improved the way in which we are able to deliver this very important service."
Dr James Adeley (H.M Coroner) added: “I believe the forward thinking and enlightened approach taken by Lancashire County Council reflects their appreciation that the needs of the bereaved have changed markedly in the last 10 years. As inquests become more complicated with increased legal representation, coroner’s courts now need extra rooms for families either to take legal advice or simply to compose themselves.
"The provision of this new Coroner’s Court means that bereaved families will receive a level of service relevant to this century rather than the last."
Posted: 2/3/2010