John Penrose

Conservative Party | Weston-super-Mare

‘Weston needs new Hostels like a hole in the head’ says Town’s MP

1 May 2008

Government plans for 150 new bail hostels were leaked last night on Channel 4 news, following a letter to Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose saying that the town is to be one of the locations where they will be housed. At least 50% of people housed in the hostels will be offenders on the Government's new early release scheme from prison. The remainder will be on bail while they wait for their trials.

The Minister responsible for the scheme, David Hanson MP, revealed that the privately-run scheme won't provide 24 hour supervision for the early-release offenders. Similar hostels run by the public sector provide specialist 24 hour supervision of the offenders to ensure that they do not re-offend or cause problems in their local communities.

Mr Penrose said: "Weston needs this like a hole in the head. The early release criminals in these hostels will include people who've been jailed for anti-social behaviour and drugs crimes. Ever since I was elected we've been closing drugs rehabs and cutting the number of addicts sent to Weston, but now the Government's started sending them back again under a different scheme.  

"They created the mess because they haven't built enough prison places to cope with these criminals, so now they're letting them out early and sending them to Weston. They've got to stop treating our town as a dumping ground for other people's problems. 

"They're supposed to have consulted with local people, so I want to know where these bail hostels are sited in Weston, and whether local residents have been asked what they think about them. I'm willing to bet they won't be happy."

Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert added: "It’s wrong to house prisoners in residential areas simply because the Government has failed to provide enough jail spaces, but doubly wrong that local people are never consulted beforehand. Placing offenders in housing where they receive almost no supervision or support is no way to provide effective rehabilitation and places the public at unnecessary risk".