DERRY and Strabane council has called for plans to be put in place to have Crown Court trials returned to Derry city.
Crown Court jury trials were transferred to Coleraine in September last year to comply with Covid-19 restrictions.
Social distancing regulations meant that Derry's Bishop Street court house could not facilitate juries.
However, lawyers in Derry have expressed concern about the situation and the fact that no date has been set for the return of Crown Court trials to the city.
The issue has now also been taken up by the district council which backed a call from independent member, Sean Carr to have trials returned.
"It's quite frankly ridiculous that Derry, one of the key cities in Ireland and the second city in the northern part of the country, doesn't have Crown Court trials. This places a burden on the people of this city and surrounding areas that no other major city faces," he said.
The Derry councillor, who owns an undertaking business, said pathology and coroner services have been transferred out of the city to Belfast and he was concerned about the move of Crown Court trials out of the city.
He proposed that the council recognise the importance of access to justice as a fundamental right as well as the "inherent inconvenience, disruption and stress" for court users.
Mr Kerr called on the Northern Ireland Court Service and the Department of Justice to give a commitment that all citizens in Derry would enjoy access to all aspects of the justice system.
His proposal called for "proactive engagement" between the council, Court Service and others "to secure short-term and long-term solutions for the protection of all court services in this city and district, preferably sited in upgraded and expanded fir-for-purpose facilities in or around the current location within the city centre".
It was passed by a majority vote.
