Ashfield action group formed
Residents respond to plans for adult sex offender prison
Pucklechurch residents and councillors have formed an action group in response to plans to convert the Ashfield Young Offenders Institution into an adult sex offenders prison.
At a public meeting onTuesday 5th March, organised by the Chairman of Pucklechurch Parish Council, top officials from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and Serco Group plc - the contractors who manage and operate the facility - updated the community on the planned changes.
At the end of the meeting, residents and councillors decided to form an action group and plan to organise a letter-writing campaign.
South Gloucestershire Councillors for the Boyd Valley ward Steve Reade and Ben Stokes said:
“Organised by the Chairman of Pucklechurch Parish Council, this latest meeting provided the opportunity for the community to come together to form this action group in order to try and influence the decisions being made by the National Offender Management Service in relation to the future of Ashfield.
The next step is to encourage residents to write individual letters based on a suggested template as this is felt to be the most persuasive form of lobbying.
The Ashfield facility is an important local employer and so we want to ensure as much as possible that the changes are acceptable to the local community.”
NOMS are still in negotiations with Serco Group plc, the contractors who manage and operate the establishment, about the change of use.