Kelly Tolhurst MP has today welcomed Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah’s announcement on the building of a new prison at the HMP Rochester site but has expressed the need to support prison officers through the two year transition.
Kelly is pleased that the plans will create hundreds of modern prison places and replacing old and overcrowded establishments with new, fit for purpose buildings. However, there are some concerns around the future of Rochester’s current officer staff who will be forced to redeploy temporarily and Kelly believes their individual circumstances must be considered carefully.
On the Rochester announcement Kelly said,
“The redevelopment of our prisons is hugely welcome as we move towards combating overcrowding and providing a modern and fit for purpose environment for inmates and staff.
“But in doing so we must not forget the interests of the dedicated prison officers at Rochester, many of whom face challenges and danger on a daily basis with little recognition, and who deserve assurances that their and their families’ futures will be secure.
“I will be working closely with the Prison Officers’ Association and Rochester Prison staff, and I stand ready to support them over the coming weeks and months in any way I can.”
The redevelopment in Rochester will form part of the Government’s commitment to build up to 10,000 modern prison places by 2020, backed by £1.3bn to transform the estate.
The announcement also builds on ambitious reforms to improve safety in prisons, including an additional £100m to bolster frontline staff by 2,500.
Final decisions on the new prison will be subject to local planning approval, as well as value for money and affordability. Kelly will encourage local residents to make their representations when the planning consultation opportunity arises.