Prisons Minister Lord Timpson visits factory in Kent to launch scheme to get ex-prisoners into jobs

Lord Timpson visited COOK in Sittingbourne to launch a new scheme for ex-prisoners Credit: ITV News Meridian

Minister for Prisons Lord Timpson has visited a Kent factory to launch a new scheme to get ex-offenders into jobs and away from crime.

Lord James Timpson was at Cook in Sittingbourne where he announced the South East would have one of eleven new regional employment councils.

Greggs, Iceland and COOK will be among those to sit on new employment councils supporting offenders serving their sentence in the community into work.

Company bosses will be able to work alongside the probation service and job centres to improve job prospects and cut crime.

  • Prisons Minister, Lord James Timpson

Lord James Timpson said: "When you employ someone from prison, we are reducing crime. We are reducing victims and we are getting safer streets.

"Also for colleagues who work alongside these people - they are helping someone else with a second chance to turn their life around too."

He continued: "Getting former offenders into stable work is a sure way of cutting crime and making our streets safer.

"That’s why partnering with businesses to get more former offenders into work is a win-win.

"The Employment Advisory Boards I spear-headed have made huge progress and now these Employment Councils will expand that success to steer even more offenders away from crime as part of our Plan for Change."

Each council will also have a representative from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to help improve links with local job centres.

DWP Lords Minister, Baroness Maeve Sherlock, said:  "As well as making our streets safer, helping offenders into work will enable employers to fill vacancies and plug our skills gaps.

"This work is vital in our Plan for Change as we begin our task of fixing the fundamentals of the social security system and progress with wider work to reduce poverty, put more money in people’s pockets and keep our streets safe.

"That's why I am pleased that DWP staff will also be a part of the new regional Employment Councils to directly connect them with the frontline support delivered every day by Jobcentre staff across the country - offering work experience and access to our employment programmes."

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