Bob Blizzard Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Waveney Aspire Centre Yarmouth Road Lowestoft NR32 4AH th 9 September 2013
Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP The Prime Minister 10 Downing Street London SW1 2AA Dear Mr Cameron Your government’s decision to close Blundeston Prison has been met with shock, dismay and anger by our community, the more so because of the manner of its execution, with staff called to an early morning meeting on Wednesday 5th September to be told the prison would close by the end of the year. Prison staff had previously been told that efficiency targets, which they have met, would secure the future of Blundeston. Work had begun on installing sanitation into cells and other building improvement work was being carried out as the closure announcement was made. The local community does not understand what suddenly changed such that the prison has now been deemed unfit to continue operating beyond the end of the year. I am writing to you rather than the Ministry of Justice because I believe that this department has only taken a narrow view of the subject, focussing only on its own budget rather than taking into account the wider picture. I would request that you review this decision in order to consider the wider implications for our community and the public purse of closing a major source of work in an area of high unemployment. Apart from the loss of over 220 jobs of those in direct employment, the further impact on the local supply chain and the removal of millions of pounds of wages will have a disastrous impact on the local economy. The consequences of higher welfare payments and the loss of tax revenues for the government should surely form part of the equation. Your government has previously said it wants to regenerate the Lowestoft area and has designated some land as an enterprise zone. This will be undermined by the government removing hundreds of jobs it has directly provided as an employer at the prison. More public money will now be required if regeneration is to be achieved despite the impact of the prison closure.
We discovered earlier this year that the government is considering relocating the CEFAS laboratories (the other main source of direct government employment) out of Lowestoft. Can you now please confirm that CEFAS will remain in Lowestoft and will you review the decision regarding Blundeston Prison? Many thanks for your attention to this matter. Yours sincerely,
Bob Blizzard Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Waveney