Peterhead SNP Councillors Welcome Prison Jobs Roadshow

Peterhead South & Cruden councillors Stuart Pratt and Stephen Smith have welcomed the news that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) are to hold a recruitment roadshow in Peterhead next week for the new HM Prison Grampian currently under construction.

Following a long community-led campaign to save Peterhead Prison, one of the first acts of the new SNP Scottish Government in 2007 was to end the uncertainty and announce a new-build prison in Peterhead.

The SPS roadshow comes after confirmation that a large number of local firms were benefitting from contracts in relation to the demolition of the old prison and construction of the new one.

Commenting, Cllr Stuart Pratt said:

“This roadshow is very much to be welcomed.  The main driver behind the campaign to save the prison was to protect local jobs.  These have been secured by the SNP Government and now we are seeing the increased job opportunities available locally as a result.

“In addition, contrary to the wildly inaccurate claims made by one Peterhead councillor, local firms and local tradesmen are also benefitting from the construction project, keeping the money firmly in the local economy.”

Cllr Stephen Smith added:

“This is very good news.  Not only will we see the safeguarding of existing jobs but new opportunities will be available locally once HMP Grampian is fully operational.

“With the SNP Government’s commitment that prison service jobs will remain within the public sector, both applicants and existing staff can be assured that we won’t see any of the poor pay and conditions prevalent in private prisons.”