Arundel bail hostel

A proposal for a bail hostel in Arundel was defeated following strong objections from the local community.

Nick gave his full backing to local residents in their campaign to prevent the use of a property in Howard Road as accommodation for prisoners released early on tags or suspects remanded on bail.

The house was acquired by ClearSprings Ltd as part of a national scheme introduced by the Government to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

Around 200 local residents and councillors attended a meeting at Arundel Football Club to express their deep concern about the proposal.

Nick led a high-profile campaign in the local press and TV to raise awareness of the proposal and put pressure on ClearSprings and the Ministry of Justice to back down.

Nick argued that a quiet residential area in Arundel was a "totally unsuitable" place for a bail hostel and said the episode raised "very serious questions" about a policy which results in such hostels being opened without any consultation with the local community or their representatives.

Nick welcomed the climb-down from ClearSprings and said he was glad that they had "seen sense".