17 February 2010

 

Meeting at the North Wales Regional Partnership Board, leaders of the six North Wales councils; Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham have agreed to campaign hard for a new 1500 bed prison to serve North Wales and parts of the North West of England.

 

The North Wales authorities have evidenced their support by nominating several sites across the region for consideration by the National Offenders Management Service (NOMS).

 

Councillor Aled Roberts, Chairman of the North Wales Regional Board said:

 

“A new prison located in North Wales would be incredibly positive for all of our communities which under the current system have seen around 800 prisoners moved outside of North Wales. As well as meeting local need, a new prison would also provide our communities with the opportunity of new, long term employment.”

 

“We expect the National Offender Management Service to shortlist at least one site from North Wales. At this point the six authorities will launch a united campaign.”

 

“The six Council Leaders supported the original decision to locate a smaller prison in Caernarfon, and were disappointed when this project was stopped because of the investment in public services and jobs it represented. However, we will now work closely with the Chief Constable of the North Wales Police, Business Leaders from the North Wales Economic Forum, the Courts Service, NOMS Wales and Judges to achieve this investment.”

 

 

Mark Polin, The Chief Constable of the North Wales Police said in response;

 

“The North Wales local authorities and the North Wales Economic Forum have asked me to join their campaign to secure a prison for North Wales and I am delighted to do so. North Wales has many good sites to offer and needs a prison located in the region to meet local needs. North Wales is the only region of substance in the country not to have a prison located in its area. It is time to invest in North Wales.”

 

 

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

 

Lucy Sweet 029 2046 8678 or lucy.sweet@wlga.gov.uk

 

Notes for Editors

 

Council Leaders in North Wales support a prison development in the region to: -

·         Meet the needs of 800 prisoners and young offenders from North Wales currently accommodated outside the region and enable Welsh Language provision

·         Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Courts in North Wales

·         Reduce re-offending by bringing prisoners closer to their families and rehabilitation services such as probation and social services.

·         Reduce the cost of supporting prisoners on the part of probation and social services

·         Reduce journey times and costs for transporting prisoners between courts and prison.

 

A new prison in North Wales will secure much needed long term stable employment both directly and indirectly in the local and regional economy with knock on benefits for the NHS and educational institutions locally and regionally.

 

A North Wales prison is supported by the North Wales Economic Forum and the Local Criminal Justice Board. The six North Wales councils have put in as many sites as possible to maximise the chances of success on the part of North Wales. This demonstrates the strong commitment of North Wales to securing a prison.

 

The Chief Constable of the North Wales Police has agreed to be the public face of a campaign to secure a prison for North Wales.

 

The Ministry of Justice is seeking sites for a 1500 bed prison to service North Wales and parts of the North West of England. Agents have been engaged to assess sites nominated by local authorities and landowners. It is planned to assess available sites by the end of February and draw up a shortlist of sites by April with a decision due in early summer.

 

Informal feedback suggests that North Wales is a serious contender for a new 1500 bed prison.

 

Proposed Action

·         A Board delegation seeks a meeting with the relevant minister in the Ministry of Justice (Maria Eagle MP) to press for any short-listed sites for north Wales in March.

·         The Board seeks a meeting with the WAG Minster for Local Government and Social Justice to seek the support of the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) for a site in North Wales.

The Board considers action to maximise support from local AMs and MPs

For more information contact: Mari Thomas

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