Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is facing calls for his resignation for defying the will of the Scottish Parliament over his decision not to introduce US-style community courts to Scotland.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is facing calls for his resignation for defying the will of the Scottish Parliament over his decision not to introduce US-style community courts to Scotland.

Labour, Tory and LibDem MSPs combined to accuse him of "weasel words" and "insulting parliament" for ignoring a Holyrood vote in favour of going ahead with a pilot project in the east end of Glasgow.

As The Herald revealed last week, the cost of building the court would have been £3.73m with running costs of £750,000 a year - lower figures than originally estimated.

However, Mr MacAskill told MSPs yesterday that front line services such as policing would have to be cut if the project was to go ahead.

He said: "If you want to proceed with buildings, you have to cut it from other budgets. And those budgets will be frontline services."

His statement sparked an angry backlash from opposition MSPs with some of the strongest criticism coming from LibDem justice spokesman Robert Brown.

He said: "The Justice Secretary's weasel words about Community Courts made for a sorry spectacle. He should be embarrassed to tell parliament that the SNP holds its view in contempt. If the Government is not prepared to reconsider its position, then the Justice Secretary should be reconsidering his."

Richard Baker, Labour's justice spokesman, branded Mr MacAskill's statement "an insult to this parliament".

"We all recognise the financial pressures that exist, but despite those Glasgow City Council has made it clear they were ready to invest millions in this court because they believe it would work."

Mr Baker said the scheme - modelled on courts operating in New York - was "proven to deliver tough and effective community payback".

Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken said there had been a clear majority in the parliament for proceeding with the project and ignoring the vote was a "negation of parliamentary democracy".

He said Conservatives had "little confidence" in Mr MacAskill across a range of policies. He added: "This defiance of parliament on this issue raises doubts as to his ability to satisfy this chamber of his competence and suitability for office."

Mr MacAskill remained defiant, insisting that the running costs for the new courts were "substantial" and blamed the UK Government for budget restrictions. He said: "Resources are not infinite. We are in a recession. We are aware of the financial situation and the pressures that £500m of cuts from Westminster brings.

"We need to target our resources. Sometimes that will mean that desirable extras, like the community court building, do not proceed.

"If we fund Glasgow Community Court, it means cuts in other areas. In the economic circumstances, the development of the community court building does not offer the best value for resources available and could only be delivered by cuts in vital frontline services, whether police or community justice."

However, Mr MacAskill said the decision could be reconsidered if financial circumstances improved. He said government and Glasgow City Council officials would meet next week for further discussions.

In the vote, 73 MSPs voted in favour of the court going ahead while 46 voted against.