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Burnham supports Strangeways closure and move

Richard Baker
BBC News, Manchester
PA Media Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham smiles in front of a white background, wearing a dark blue suit. He has dark brown hair with flecks of grey and is wearing dark glasses.PA Media
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says Strangeways prison is "out of date"

Strangeways prison should be relocated from its current "out of date" city-centre location, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said.

Manchester's political leaders and the Ministry of Justice are understood to be in initial talks about potentially closing the Victorian-era jail, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

"It's out of date to have a prison where it is," said Burnham. "The clear preference to us would be to relocate the prison in the long term."

His Labour colleague, Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell, said she would back the regeneration of the area around HMP Manchester, which is locally known as Strangeways.

A picture of the Gothic-style Strangeways prison, taken from the road outside. There are parked cars lining one side of the street.
Grade II listed Strangeways prison, near Manchester's Cheetham Hill area, was built in the 1860s

Powell said: "Clearly one barrier to regenerating the area is the future of the prison itself.

"We clearly need prison spaces badly, so finding an alternative will be important.

"I will be working closely with the council as a constituency MP to support their work to make the case for regenerating the area and finding long-term alternatives for the prison."

Currently about 99% of prison places in England and Wales are occupied, with some offenders being granted early release to free up capacity.

High-security HMP Manchester accommodates 744 inmates.

In December 2022, the Conservative government said it would not move Strangeways prison despite councillors saying the building was "not suitable" for the modern day.

At the time, Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig warned it was "coming to the end of its natural lifespan".

A 2024 report found the prison was "fundamentally not safe", with inspections discovering high levels of violence, a rat infestation, and widespread drug use.

A Prison Service spokesperson told the LDRS: "Public protection will always be the number one priority and HMP Manchester is essential to locking up dangerous offenders - keeping locals safe.

"We will continue to work with the local councils on its future."

Ten prisoners protest on the roof of Strangeways prison - some masked, some sat down and one holding a baton.
The 1990 Strangeways riot was the longest in British penal history

Strangeways prison opened in 1868 and was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the architect who was also behind the city's Town Hall.

The jail attracted notoriety in 1990 following what was then the longest riot in British penal history.

Overcrowding, lack of sanitation and poor conditions led to a 25-day protest in which two people died and hundreds were injured.

Approximately £90m was then spent on repairs and refurbishment, with Strangeways officially renamed as HMP Manchester in 1994.

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