Magistrates have attacked Government plans to close their court at Sutton Coldfield as “illogical” and a waste of public funds.

The court is one of 157 in the UK facing the axe as the Ministry of Justice tries to save £35 million.

Also under threat are magistrates courts at Halesowen, West Bromwich and Tamworth and county courts in Stourbridge, Redditch, Kidderminster and Tamworth.

Magistrates at Sutton Coldfield have now drawn up a battle plan to fight the closure.

The court in Lichfield Road faced closure eight years ago but avoided the axe.

The Ministry of Justice said the court was at risk because it was “under-used and inadequate” and intends to merge it with Victoria Law Courts to create a new Birmingham Local Justice Area.

But chairman of the Sutton Bench Norman Ball said this was nonsense.

“We regard this argument as flawed and lacking detailed research,” he said.

“Closing a cost-effective operation such as Sutton Coldfield is both illogical and wasteful of public funds.”

A document drawn up by the magistrates to fight the closure, said Sutton represented good value for money to the taxpayer.

At £239,000 a year, its running costs are low, the magistrates claimed, and are about half the cost of Solihull Magistrates Court, which serves a population of the same size but is not on the closure list.

Mr Ball said the claim made by Courts Minister Jonathan Djanogly when announcing details of the closures that Sutton was inadequate was “the result of neglect” over the last seven years.

It would not cost much to bring Sutton up to scratch, he said, as the building was structurally sound and any defects and flaws could be done at a relatively low cost.

It was also unlikely the Ministry of Justice would easily find a buyer for the site because of its position sandwiched between the fire and police station.

Mr Ball said it was also “flawed and perverse” to move Sutton’s cases to the Victoria Law Courts, which were recently condemned as being no longer fit for purpose and expensive with £1.4 million running costs.

Plans to relocate Victoria Law Courts to a new £94 million “super court” at Masshouse Circus have recently been scrapped to save public money.

Sutton magistrates said their court was well used with four out of its five rooms in daily use dealing with more than 25,000 cases last year.

The magistrates have suggested spare court capacity could be used for holding employment tribunals and inquests.

Backing their fight are Sutton MP and Cabinet Minister Andrew Mitchell, Erdington MP Jack Dromey, all the local councillors, Birmingham Coroner Aidan Cotter and former MPs now Lords, Norman Fowler, Robin Corbett, Jeff Rooker and John Tomlinson.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said the magistrates’ views would be taken into account.

“This consultation will take into account all factors, plus any relevant considerations which are put forward during the consultation period,” she said.

“Feedback will enable us to ensure that courts remain in the most important strategic location, that communities have access to the courts within reasonable travelling distance and that cases are heard in courts with suitable facilities.

“The consultation is seeking the views of everyone with an interest in local justice. The Lord Chancellor will take all views into account before making any decision.”