No ClearSprings for Basildon

Today, in a conversation with the East of England office of the National Offender Management Service, John Baron MP was told that ClearSprings will no longer be looking to purchase a property in Basildon District. However, the National Offender Management Service will be seeking accommodation elsewhere in Essex.

John said: “It looks as though our pressure paid-off. ClearSprings knew it was on shaky ground because of the lack of consultation, because Basildon Council had expressed its ‘universal opposition’ to this proposal, and because I had the Minister over a barrel here in Parliament as he had misled the House of Commons in his response to me.”

“This is excellent news for local residents. Because of the lack of consultation, it was possible that residents could have woken-up one morning to find themselves living next door to an ‘open prison’. This would have been grossly unfair. The Government must solve its prison overcrowding problem by other means.”