Bail accommodation 'dumped' on communities
Tuesday, 12 August 2008 11:00 AM
Private company Clearsprings is being accused of dumping over a hundred bail accommodation centres on local communities.
The residences house offenders released before the end of their sentence or people awaiting trial. Local authorities are furious at not being properly consulted over the plans, despite ministerial assurances in the Commons that the company has clear contractual obligations to consult with councils, police and probation authorities.
"However, there has been a shocking lack of consultation with local authorities and disregard for the wishes of local people," said councillor Hazel Harding, chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) safer communities board.
"Some councillors are quite understandably furious that they have not been adequately consulted on what is happening in their area.
"It's pure folly to dump this kind of accommodation into the middle of a residential street without properly asking for the council's views."
The LGA is currently seeking assurances from Clearsprings that future consultations genuinely take into account the views of local people.
Councils currently have no say over where the accommodation is located, or how many are to be based in their area.
The Conservatives have renewed their call on ministers to suspend the policy. Shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert said: "We already know that Clearsprings does not have to consult with local residents before it opens a bail hostel in their street.
"Now we learn that the totally inadequate consultation process even means that local councils are being kept in the dark about this stealth release policy."
Clearsprings has opened 160 bail support centres this year alone. They could not be contacted for comment.
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