Shepton Mallet prison closure 'a very sad day for town'

Two of the region's most famous and historic prisons, including the country's oldest, are to be closed, with another jail expanded to help rehouse the inmates. The prisons at Shepton Mallet and Gloucester will close under government plans announced yesterday, with capacity increased at Ashfield young offenders' institute, near Bristol, and the site adapted for adults. The two jails are among six that are to close as the Government gets ruthless in their bid to cut costs and rationalise the prison service. Both jails are centuries old and are comparatively more expensive to run. Yesterday there was sadness and anxiety in Gloucester and Shepton Mallet over the loss of the prisons, with concerns over the jobs of the prison officers, and the knock-on effect on local economies. And in South Gloucestershire, where Ashfield is to be radically changed, the local MP called for consultation. In Shepton Mallet, Councillor John Parham said the loss was a blow, and that Mendip District Council would help staff if they are made redundant or can't move to other jails miles away. "This is very sad day for the town and I feel so sorry for those prison staff who today found out that they could be made redundant. The prison has played a major part in the history of Shepton Mallet since 1610 and has been an important employer in the town. Not only does it employ a number of staff itself, but it also brings in services from the local area. "The council will be doing all it can to support those who are facing redundancy as a result of this closure. We will be meeting with the prison governor and will be working with the Ministry of Justice and the prison officers' union to make sure those affected know where to go for support and advice," he added. Shepton Mallet's jail had an annual budget of £5.9 million in the year 2011-12 and the cost per prisoner is roughly £48,000. Oddly, it allows prisoners to keep caged birds. Mr Parham said that he had been surprised by the announcement that the prison was to close. "Shepton Mallet prison has been under threat of closure for some time, but the announcement came as a complete shock," he said. "The council hadn't received any prior notification that this decision had been made. "The first priority needs to be supporting the staff at the prison and doing all we can to help them find work. After this, we need to think about what can be done with the site. The prison is a Grade II*-listed building and is likely to be a challenging site to develop," he added. While not as old as that in Shepton Mallet, Gloucester's prison still carries a long history. Built in 1782 and rebuilt in 1840, the Category B adult prison and young offender remand centre holds up to 310 prisoners on three wings. It had an annual budget of £8.4 million in the year 2011-12 and the cost per prisoner is roughly £42,000. MP Richard Graham said the announcement was less of a surprise – the prison's facilities and 250-year-old buildings have long been criticised as outdated – but said he would meet staff to discuss it. "Change sooner or later was inevitable. This gives us clarity," said Mr Graham. "We know where we are. We can now get on with considering how the site can be best used to provide jobs and benefit the regeneration of the city centre. "I will work with the governor to try and make sure people working at HMP Gloucester get all the help they need for this difficult time in their lives," he added. South Gloucestershire's MP Steve Webb said he was concerned about the community reaction to the change from young offenders to adult inmates at Ashfield, near Yate. "I understand the argument that falling numbers of young offenders means things have to change, and that this may be the best way to keep Ashfield open," he said. "But this has not been well handled, with leaks and rumours and a lack of clear information. Staff need the opportunity to feed in their views and local people should also be able to have their questions answered about the plans," he added. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the six closures nationally would save some £63 million a year, enabling a plan to replace older prisons with newer, cheaper-to-run prisons. That includes a feasibility study announced yesterday on building huge prisons, capable of holding more than 2,000 prisoners, in either London, the north west or north Wales. "We have to bring down the cost of our prison system, much of which is old and expensive," he said. "But I never want the courts to be in a position where they cannot send a criminal to prison because there is no place available. "So we have to move as fast as we can to replace the older parts of our prison system," he added. But the far-reaching overhaul could put more than 1,000 jobs at risk, and came in for criticism from PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka. He said: "These closures are unnecessary, irresponsible and amount to more privatisation by stealth." "The fact this is happening without any public debate or discussion ought to be a national scandal and we urgently need an independent review to look at the impact of prison privatisation."