Jobs fear for 200 after Shrewsbury Dana prison closure shock

The men's Category C prison in Shrewsbury will close on April 1, leaving the futures of 207 members of staff hanging in the balance.

But Tony Merrick, for the Prison Officers' Association, said the union was 'confident' that compulsory redundancies could be avoided.

He said a voluntary redundancy scheme had been established, while those who wanted to remain in the prison service were to be offered jobs elsewhere in the region.

Mr Merrick added the speed of the closure, announced yesterday, had not been anticipated, with prisoners and staff due to be out of the facility by the beginning of April.

"The concern for the union is the 200 members of staff at Shrewsbury. But we are confident there will be no compulsory redundancies," he said.

"It is a tough time for staff at Shrewsbury and it is a tough time for Shrewsbury and the local community as well."

Mr Merrick said he would be meeting with staff at Shrewsbury prison today to discuss the options available to them.

And he said potential locations for staff to transfer to include Stoke Heath Young Offenders Institution, as well as prisons in Stafford and Wolverhampton.

He said the union had been made aware that prison closures were being planned by the Government, meaning the decision to close Shrewsbury had not been a complete surprise.

It comes as Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski warned the closure of The Dana in Howard Street, in Castlefields, would hit the town's economy.

The Tory MP said he would be seeking talks with prisons minister Jeremy Wright about the decision to shut the prison, which opened in its current form in 1877.

"The closure will have a detrimental effect on the economy and I am seeking to enter into talks with Jeremy Wright to challenge the rationale behind the decision," he said.

He added that he would be working with fellow Shropshire MPs and Montgomeryshire's Glyn Davies on holding the discussions.

"I have taken a great interest in the running of Shrewsbury's prison and have been impressed by the standards of care, particularly in areas such as drug rehabilitation," he said. "The announcement has come as a huge blow.

"There will be people living in neighbouring Shropshire constituencies that are employed at the prison that will be affected by the closure. As such I will be approaching my fellow Shropshire MP's to take part in my discussions with the minister."

Meanwhile, Mr Wright has revealed financial reasons were the driving force behind the decision to close the county's only adult jail. The Government is now looking into the feasibility of building a new 'super-prison', capable of holding 2,000 offenders, as well as creating four new mini-prisons in move that is designed to save £63 million.

Shrewsbury prison's budget last year was £8 million, while the approximate cost of looking after each prisoner in 2010 was estimated at slightly over £40,000 per year.

"For HMP Shrewsbury, the review concluded that the prison's size and limited physical infrastructure means that it cannot provide the required flexibility to support the ongoing rebalancing of the custodial estate," he said.

"I would also like to make it clear that the decision to close HMP Shrewsbury is not a reflection on the professionalism and hard work of managers and staff at the prison.

"However, our strategy must be to reduce the unacceptably high cost of the current prison estate and address the current inefficiencies," he said.