The chairman of the bench at Richmond Magistrates' Court is warning that planned legislation will destroy England's locally based justice system.

Anthea Peck has already warned of mass walkouts by Richmond magistrates if the Courts Bill becomes law.

Now with the bill currently in the House of Lords, she is pressing for urgent reforms.

The bill in its proposed form will abolish the 42 Magistrates Courts Committees, made up of magistrates appointed by their peers, that run all the magistrates courts in England and Wales.

The boundaries of the committees are coterminous with the 42 police services operating in the same area.

Magistrates courts are one of the most integral part of the criminal justice system, dealing with 95 per cent of all criminal cases.

Because magistrates are local to the court where they work, the committees' responsibilities, such as deciding whether to close a court, can be carried out with the benefit of unique local knowledge.

Mrs Peck agrees that to increase consistency changes need to be made but thinks the government are going the wrong way about it.

She said: "An effective national framework is required, setting strong standards for the way our courts are administered. That makes sense.

"But the vision of a modern justice system is not about increased centralisation by the Lord Chancellor."

Mrs Peck believes strongly that the legislation is unnecessary and will prove unjust.

She added: "Higher standards are best achieved through strong local delivery by those who best understand local needs.

"As things stand, this will not happen and the outcome is all too predictable.

"Namely, a huge, centrally run, monolithic agency, lacking any local input or proper accountability to local people."

At a recent conference for all Bench Chairmen in England and Wales, Mrs Peck claims she found her concerns echoed by representatives of other benches.

A spokesman at the Central Council of Magistrates Courts Committees said: "People who live locally will understand immediately the relevance of a new court building, a court closure or any changes."

In the white paper Justice for All, published last year, the Government promised they would create local management boards, made up of members of the local community.

The lack of provision for the promised boards was a shock to magistrates when the Courts Bill was presented to parliament in November.

The MCC spokesman continued: "The Government is attempting to impose a centralised national executive agency which is a totally retrograde step.

"The magistrates on these committees are chosen by their peers for their management skills. Some are nurses, some are chief executives.

"That, combined with their local knowledge and direct understanding of the court processes makes their skills quite unique."