Ford prison governor speaks out about leaked report

In an exclusive interview with the Gazette yesterday (Wednesday), Ms Radford said she felt frustrated that the memo was leaked and wanted to reassure people that the four options outlined in it were not concrete plans.

Today (Thursday) she meets with Arun District Council's chief executive Ian Sumnall and leader Gill Brown to discuss the memo and the agreement between the prison and the council which limits the number of prisoners serving life sentences at Ford.

Ms Radford told the Gazette she was looking forward to the meeting as it would give her the chance to allay the fears of the council and reassure them that no plans had yet been made.

She said: "The four options outlined in the memo are just ideas at the moment and not plans that have been decided.

It was very frustrating that they were leaked, because it is concerning to the council and to local people and I don't want to make them anxious.

"I look forward to reassuring the council that the options are just ideas we were asked to send to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which owns all prison sites and buildings in England, and that we have not yet heard back from them."

She went on to say that she did feel that Ford could be a suitable site for a new prison but underlined that that could happen only after extensive consultation with the local community.

"I think a new prison would be suitable on certain parts of the site but I think it would need a lot of consultation with local people and the local MP and councils.

"The main thing is that people should be reassured that none of these plans are firm and that they are simply ideas at the moment.

"I would absolutely consult with the local population should a decision be made to consider them in more detail but as yet the NOMS has not come back to us."

The long-running agreement between Arun and the prison limits the number of prisoners serving a life sentence for violence or sex or arson offences to 200. Signed every three years, it is due to expire in January.

Ian Sumnall said: "As far as I am aware, it is a unique agreement between a prison and its local authority. It is important because it confirms that no alteration to the agreed prisoner criteria will take place without the council being consulted first.

"Our present agreement with Ford Prison terminates at the end of this current year and, whatever the circumstances, the council's cabinet will be receiving a report on its renewal in early December."