Cloak of secrecy over hostel plans

A company planning to open new private bail hostels did not want to consult Oldham councillors or local people, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.

The Government has signed a deal with private company ClearSprings to provide around 200 hostels for bailed offenders, those released on home curfew with electronic tags, and alleged offenders awaiting trial. It already has one bail hostel in Oldham, and a leaked document shows it planned not to tell residents when it proposed a new hostel until the scheme was given the green light.

The leaked document revealed councils had no rights to block the hostels, for up to five people, unless they breached housing and planning rules.

The Ministry of Justice said the document was not ratified and was withdrawn in November.

It would have meant only council officials, and senior police and probation officers were consulted.

The exact location of the hostels is not known, but details of how many there already are has been released in a Parliamentary answer.

The leaked document stated: “ClearSprings is not required to consult with politicians or residents’ groups.

“The council has no legal responsibilities to support ClearSprings in the provision of accommodation.

“Neither has it any legal powers to restrict or control the provision of accommodation by ClearSprings other than to ensure that the housing is fit for occupation and meets planning and housing legislation. ClearSprings can assume acceptance if no response is forthcoming from probation or the local authority after five working days.”

The secrecy was condemned by Oldham Council leader Howard Sykes, who said: “We would always want to consult with local residents before any development happened in their area.

“The scheme that has now been suspended would have excluded democratically elected councillors from this whole process.”

Shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert said: “Placing offenders in residential properties causes immense aggravation when neighbours suddenly discover what’s going on, only to be told that they are powerless to stop it and the local community didn’t even need to be consulted.”