Alarm as prisons cut spending on inmate education schemes

Prisons across England and Wales are to slash frontline spending on education courses by up to 50%, despite promises from Keir Starmer to improve "access to learning" in last year's general election manifesto.

- Francesca Gilks Rajeev Syal

The budget for classroom courses at HMP Leicester will be cut by 46.5%, another men's prison is cutting spending by 25%, while a women's prison is cutting its provision in education by 26%, sources confirmed.

In one prison, there will be a reduction in the number of basic English and maths courses.

Labour promised in 2024 to "work with prisons to improve offenders' access to purposeful activity, such as learning", acknowledging that "prison leavers are more likely to reoffend if they do not have the tools to move away from crime."

The Prison Governors' Association (PGA) told the Guardian that most prisons in England and Wales will have their education budgets cut in real terms by at least 5%.