The government says it has fast-tracked £110m from existing budgets to speed up the construction of new prison cells, as ministers seek to address overcrowding across the prison estate.
The funding is intended to accelerate work on additional cells within prisons. The announcement forms part of the government’s stated effort to increase capacity and reduce pressure caused by overcrowding.
According to the government, the money has not been presented as new funding but has instead been brought forward from budgets already in place. The aim is to quicken the delivery of cell-building work rather than wait for previously planned spending schedules.
The move comes amid continuing concern about the number of people being held in prisons and the pressure this places on available accommodation. The government has linked the faster building programme directly to its attempt to tackle overcrowding.
No further details were provided in the supplied material on which prisons will receive new cells, how many will be built, or when the additional accommodation is expected to be completed. The latest confirmed position is that £110m has been fast-tracked to speed up the work.
