New £38m jail wing adds 10 cells - not promised 170

50 minutes ago

Robby WestNorfolk

News image — The newly refurbished wing is named after Norwich-born Elizabeth Fry, who worked to reform the prison service in the 19th century

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Two large red-brick buildings with tall Georgian arched windows. There is a metal gate enclosing the entrance to one of the buildings. — The newly refurbished wing is named after Norwich-born Elizabeth Fry, who worked to reform the prison service in the 19th century

A new prison wing that was meant to provide 170 extra cells has only added 10 because two other wings have had to be closed for it to be staffed, an officer said.

The £38m renovation of the Elizabeth Fry wing at HMP Norwich began in 2023, which included plans to deliver 170 new cells by 2025.

Steven Searby, the head of the Prison Officers Association at HMP Norwich, said without the extra staff that had been promised with the new wing, two existing wings were forced to shut so officers could be redeployed.

A HM Prison Service spokesperson said the net increase "reflects temporary operational work" while maintenance happens on one of the closed wings.

Steven Searby stands in a car park dressed in his prison officer uniform. He is wearing a white shirt and black tie, which has a microphone attached. He is also wearing a black radio and blue lanyard. He is not smiling and wearing glasses. — Steven Searby, a prison officer for over 30 years, called the lack of staff for the new wing "beyond belief"

The wing's redevelopment was part of a nationwide £4bn government-project, under Rishi Sunak's Conservative administration, to create 20,000 new prison places.

Searby said HMP Norwich was originally allocated 44 additional staff to open the redeveloped unit.

Yet, he said, officers were later told the extra staff were no longer needed to open the 170-cell wing, a decision Searby described as "mind-boggling".

"We struggle to run a normal regime and routine every day as it is," he added.

Following a complaint from the union, Searby said two Category C wings containing 160 cells have now been closed, with staff redeployed to open the new wing.

"We're no different from any other jail in the country. Every single jail has chronic staffing shortages," he added.

Earlier this month, the number of available spaces for male inmates across the prison estate in England and Wales fell to its lowest this year.

HMP Norwich, which was built in the 1880s, held 746 inmates when it was last inspected by the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in January.

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Inside the Elizabeth Fry wing in HMP Norwich. There are rows of cells on different levels and a secure staircase runs in the middle to connect them. — The Ministry of Justice previously said the new wing would deliver the "long-term places needed to lock up dangerous offenders"

A spokesperson for HM Prison Service said: "We inherited prisons on the brink of collapse after just 500 net places were added to the estate in the 14 years to July 2024, and are pulling every lever possible to fix this – building 14,000 new places with 3,300 already delivered since July 2024.

"This investment has transformed the wing into a modern 170-place facility.

"The net increase reflects temporary operational work while other accommodation undergoes essential fire safety maintenance – meaning the increase will be far greater in the long-term."

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