JOHN Marjoram in his letter (July 30 'It`s War on the poor') has totally missed the point.

It was the Liberal Democrats in the last parliament that held the Conservatives in check and as a result we are now paying the price with fewer and fewer public services and also the NHS being chipped away and given to private companies. Of course Neil Carmichael jumped on the band wagon - any publicity is better than none.

Regarding the court service, I know if you have done something wrong, the court service should be swift and fair but to want to close Stroud and possibly Gloucester magistrates' courts and move it all to Cheltenham is an utter disgrace.

Gloucestershire is a large rural county with a very poor road and rail system, and a bus service that is non-existent in some parts. How can defendants and witnesses be at the court by 10am? This will cause major delays and possible police action.

Parts of the county are 40 miles away from Cheltenham, how do these people get to Cheltenham with no train or bus service? Not everyone has a car and when you have there is nowhere to park.

Another way, I suppose, is Shanks's pony, another way is by taxi, there and back plus waiting time. Can you see the courts paying bills of about £300 a day - and that's only if you can persuade the taxi driver to wait? I think not. Oh I forgot, £300 is chicken feed to some solicitors and lawyers with their astronomical fees, it`s no wonder the ordinary working class man cannot get a case heard in the High Court.

What is needed is a root and branch review of the service. Has the Justice department lost the plot? What is needed is a return to local magistrates' courts in local towns where a defendant - if found guilty - is named and shamed. They don`t do it again. This alone would bring down the crime rate.

Brian Marsh

Chairman Dursley Liberal Democrats