- Four new houseblocks under construction at HMP Northumberland.
- New workshop with six classrooms to steer prisoners away from crime.
- Latest milestone in Government’s plans to build 14,000 prison places by 2031, as part of the Plan for Change
The new cells will be fully operational by 2027 and help ensure there is always enough space for dangerous offenders.
The major project will also include the construction of a new workshop containing six classrooms and industry areas – delivering punishment that cuts crime by giving prisoners the skills they need to stop reoffending.
Today’s news is a significant milestone in the Government’s aims to build 14,000 additional prison places by 2031 – with around 2,900 of these having already been built since July 2024.
Minister for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending, Lord James Timpson said
We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse, and have wasted no time getting shovels in the ground to fix this – with 2,900 new prison places already opened – which also creates jobs for communities like those in the North East.
Alongside sentencing reform, this will create prisons that cut crime, reduce reoffending, and ensure there are fewer victims in the future.
The build will also create jobs in the North East, with around 70 new permanent roles expected at the prison once the houseblocks are complete.
The project is being delivered by Kier, a leading provider of infrastructure services, construction and property developments.
The construction follows the opening of the around 1,500-capacity prison in Yorkshire, HMP Millsike, last year. The Government is investing £4.7 billion to deliver these prison builds, whilst investing £500 million over two years in prison and probation service maintenance to improve conditions across the estate. The prison building programme will work alongside sentencing reform, to ensure there is always a cell to lock up the most dangerous offenders.
Background
- The Government is investing £4.7 billion to deliver these prison builds over this spending review period (2026/27 – 2029/30).