Council Leader Slams Prison Name Shortlist

The Leader of Harborough District Council has criticised the names shortlisted for a new prison near Market Harborough.

The Ministry of Justice revealed last week it will be called either HMP Harcourt, HMP Devana or HMP Welland Oaks.

It says all three names relate to the history or environment of the local area.

The shortlist of names has already been slammed by Cllr Phil King, county councillor for the Gartree division, who accused the MoJ of ‘hijacking’ heritage and community identities for the names.

Cllr Phil Knowles, leader of the council, made his feeling known at a meeting last night.

He said the prison should be called ‘The Gove’ after previous Conservative minister Michael Gove, who ignored the advice of the government’s own planning inspector and granted permission for the facility to be built adjacent to HMP Gartree:

How the prison will look

The MoJ said it was now inviting the local community ‘to share feedback and let us know your preferred choice out of the three proposed names’.

A spokesperson said: “At this stage, we are only able to accept feedback and comments on the three options above and will not be considering any new suggestions.”

“After receiving feedback, a decision on the recommended name will be made, and approval sought “from the Secretary of State for Justice and ultimately His Majesty the King before making any announcement.”

To give feedback, email psdenquiries@justice.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Gartree Name’ by Friday, September 26th.