CROTTY - NO WARRINGTON PRISON IS A VICTORY FOR LOCAL PEOPLE

11.47.22am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 29th Apr 2009

Picture of Prospective MP for Warrington South Dr Jo Crotty, the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and Lib Dem activists at the Omega site.

Lib Dem Prospective MP for Warrington South, Dr Jo Crotty, paid tribute to the efforts of local people today, following the news that no new prisons will be built in Warrington.

The news arrived in an official Parliamentary statement made yesterday by Justice Secretary Jack Straw. Thanks to the fierce opposition from local people, he scrapped his much-criticized policy to build three super-size 'Titan' Prisons.

Warrington's Omega Business Park was under consideration for one of the prisons, a site of which the only party leader to have visited in support of the campaign was the Liberal Democrat's Nick Clegg.

Dr Crotty has long opposed Titan Prisons, and recently made it the national policy of the Lib Dems to oppose such plans, arguing instead for smaller, purpose-built facilities.

In addition to this, having teamed up with the residents group WRAPP, Crotty led a robust campaign against plans to build a Titan Prison on Warrington's Omega site. She said:

"It's great that the huge efforts put in by local people have been recognized.

"All of the leaflets, letters, meetings and petitions, all of them have been proved to be worth it, and it just shows that you can make a difference."

Following his statement, Jack Straw has proposed an alternative prison policy, opting instead to build five prisons containing up to 1,500 inmates elsewhere in the country - but NOT in Warrington.

Crotty added:

"The Titan Prison policy was flawed from day one. Bigger prisons cause bigger problems, and it's a shame it's taken Jack Straw so long to realize this. Local residents are no doubt relieved that Mr Straw has ruled out any prison on the Omega site, including the new 1,500 inmate prisons announced yesterday.

"It is a shame however that, rather than tackling their pitiful reoffending record Labour have decided to go ahead with a plan to build their way out of prison overcrowding.

"Labour's prisons policy has failed. Building more prisons will not solve the problem if the Government fails to tackle the causes of crime and not just crime itself.

"In the meantime however, we can still be proud to know that when Warrington stood up to the Government and said 'No' to the Titan Prison, they listened."