Along with the rest of the nation,we have all just begun to swallow the bitter pill of unavoidable budget cuts,rolled out this week in the Emergency Budget.It is a difficult balancing act to achieve,requiring sacrifices hitherto unthought of.

On top of this we have heard the worrying news of the investigation,by Harrow Council,into the allegations of financial mismanagement of HAVS.This affects well over 220 voluntary groups in our borough,reeling under the shock of their umbrella organisation's tenuous status.

As if that's not bad enough,we have heard that the Justice Secretary,Ken Clarke,in a bid to make radical changes to courts throughout the country,is considering closing down the one and only Magistrates' Court Harrow has.It is already at the consultation stage and needs to be stopped very firmly in its tracks.A move of this sort woud be most damaging and impact negatively on our local community.

Many of you will remember how hard we collectively fought against a similar plan, in 2003,and won the right to keep our Magistrates Court open for business.The Local Authority and the HPCCG,along with the Magistrates, fought long and hard to achieve this.It seems ludicrous we may have to do this all over again.

One appreciates the advantages of using a modern and up-to-date Court plus some of the other finer points for considering such a move.However,when one considers carefully the impact on local folk,the picture changes quite dramatically.

We simply cannot afford the luxury of tying up restricted numbers of Police officers to ferry prisoners from South Harrow,across six miles,to either Brent or Hendon Magistrates'Court,instead of our local court in Rosslyn Crescent.Most unproductive,time-consuming and expensive.

It is a huge waste of limited police resources,not to mention the time wasted in travelling to and from these places,plus the obvious security risks.Such a move is not only wasteful but counter-productive.We expect our Police to uphold and increase their good performance,despite smaller funding envelopes.

It is already extremely challenging to get witnesses to attend locally and a move out of borough would only make the situation infinitely worse.

Additionally,those required to report for offences like speeding,youth crime etc,would find going so far difficult,inconvenient and expensive--a matter of some concern,with people already struggling with limited or dwindling incomes.Some may even be unemployed.

Most of us appreciate that Harrow Magistrates Court is housed in a listed building, severely restricting its chances to be sold off, to benefit the Justice Department.Its closure would wipe out £60,000 worth of maintenance work---a figure not to be scoffed at,especially when we are pruning budgets heavily all round.

At the end of the day,it is for all Harrovians to stand up as one and be counted.We must let the Justice Secretary know,in no uncertain terms, that Harrow simply cannot afford this retrograde move!

We are no longer the "leafy, green suburb"of times gone by.Harrow needs tons more support and help.Our hugely changing demographics,over the past decade, has rendered us far more vulnerable,in several parts of the borough.We are no longer the "well-heeled borough"that many still envisage us to be.

On behalf of the HPCCG and the community of Harrow,I strongly appeal to our Local Authority,Harrow Police,Councillors,our GLA member,all our local MPs,magistrates and any other influential bodies,to immediately engage in meaningful dialogue with the Justice Sectretary,Ken Clarke,and impress upon him the importance of keeping our Magistrate's Court open.It is a sheer necessity.

After all,this is an important issue, which will heavily impact on the quality of life of our local citizens and will invariably have a detrimental effect on our society.

One hopes that wise counsel will prevail and that this worrisome proposal is nipped in the bud,by those tasked to protect our interests,very quickly indeed.