What a waste: At least £5.5m being spent on keeping dilapidated Inverness prison running
MILLIONS of pounds are being spent on keeping Inverness’s overcrowded and crumbling prison running, with no guarantee of when its replacement will be built.
A freedom of information request by Highland regional MSP Edward Mountain has revealed that from 2011 until the end of 2022, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) will have forked out £5.5 million on the correctional facility.
With projected costs of £487,065 for maintenance this year alone, there are further plans to spend more than £350,000 over the next three years on refurbishing cells, installing new windows in the prison’s recreation room and education wing and new roof lights.
But a full survey of work required to extend the life of the current jail has yet to take place, so costs could rise even further.
A new, state-of-the-art £80 million prison close to Inverness Shopping Park was supposed to open this year, but the opening date has been repeatedly pushed back and it is now not expected to be built until at least March 2023.
See today's Courier for full story.
