New prison rumour ‘pure myth and fiction’ – leader
THE leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council has spoken out to dispel rumours that a new prison could be coming to the Valleys – calling it “pure myth and fiction”.
It comes after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed the council submitted information to the Ministry of Justice last year about suitable land for building a prison.
But Councillor Andrew Morgan has said RCT was only responding to an inquiry from the MoJ to find suitable sites in the same way as all others around the country did, and he categorically stated there is no prison coming to the area.
Coun Morgan said: “The rumours which are circulating around the potential for a prison to be located in Rhondda Cynon Taf in the future are pure myth and fiction, which one can only presume are being perpetuated to cause unnecessary concern.
“Officers responded to the inquiry in the same way they would to any development inquiry offering any kind of inward investment opportunity. The Welsh Government responded on behalf of Wales listing all sites which met this criteria. “No dialogue has taken place or further correspondence been received from the MoJ since this one letter, so the rumour mill being perpetuated that a prison could be, or indeed ever was, proposed for a location in RCT is completely made up.”
In his statement, Coun Morgan revealed the areas the council submitted to the MoJ that met the criteria for a new prison, which were Llanillid, Coed Ely and Hirwaun – all large former mining sites.
He said the council “did not express an interest”, and that the MoJ’s request that the authority was answering only sought to determine “if you have any sites which meet the following criteria”.
Those included brownfield sites with a minimum of 10 flat hectares of developable area, ground conditions with no “abnormal costs expected during development”, access to public transport and motorways and the possibility to connect to water, sewage and electricity.
But he said RCT was “far too close” to the current sites in South Wales – Bridgend, Swansea and Cardiff – and that most importantly, the MoJ has shown “not one single interest in RCT via council officers or Welsh Government”.
Coun Morgan added: “We are aware that other local authorities across the country are now in discussion with the prison service following the official responses they offered to the MoJ communication in 2016, as under the FOI rules. Because of the sensitivity of such discussions, the details of these councils and the locations which met the criteria set by the UK Government, have not been disclosed.
“Because there is absolutely no interest in locating a prison in RCT, our response to the official letter from the MoJ was permitted to be released.
“I hope this once and for all draws a line under any rumours which are circulating that a prison is on its way to RCT and assures residents that this is not an issue in any way which need concern them.”
RCT was one of 20 local authorities across England and Wales to respond to the request asking for suitable sites for a prison, and was the only Welsh council to do so.
The list was revealed in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request which explained that there was no legal obligation for councils to respond to the MoJ request and that the proposals were supplied voluntarily.