Probation staff to lobby parliament

Around 1,000 probation staff were expected to lobby parliament
this week to urge MPs to sign an Early Day Motion expressing
concern about the new National Offender Management Service.

The EDM, tabled last week, calls into question the lack of
organisational detail surrounding the new service which proposes to
merge prison and probation services.

It strongly endorses the work of both the prison and probation
service and calls on the government to ensure both services receive
sufficient public funding for their purposes.

Over 40 MPs from all parties have signed the EDM which also
urges that contestability – a form of privatisation –
is not used to threaten staff or the voluntary sector.