New name announced for prison

After a six-week consultation and more than 130 suggestions, the new prison in Glen Parva has a new name.

HMP Glen Parva is set to open in mid-2023 and back in December the Ministry of Justice invited people to send in their suggestions of what the new prison should be called.

A panel, including Councillor Terry Richardson, Leader of Blaby District Council, Councillor John Boyce, Leader of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council and MP for South Leicestershire Alberto Costa, looked through the suggestions and recommended HMP Fosse Way to Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.

The origin of the name Fosse Way is deep rooted in South Leicestershire, and was a roman road originally built to link key areas such as Exeter, Lincoln, Bath and Leicester across the country. The name is also popular with a number of local businesses and venues.

Councillor Terry Richardson, Leader of Blaby District Council, said: “It was an incredibly difficult task to choose the name from the great set of suggestions we received, but HMP Fosse Way is a very fitting name and we were delighted to pick it.

“We are proud to have taken advantage of the construction of this new prison in our area to team up with stakeholders and give local businesses access and opportunity to bid for work, as well as working with schools to provide an insight into the construction industry for students.

“With Serco announced as the operator for HMP Fosse Way, we are aiming to work with them in the future to ensure that the new prison has a positive, long-term impact on the community.”

Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire said: “I was delighted to hear that so many local people have engaged with HM Prison and Probation Service’s competition to find a name for the new Glen Parva prison.

The community has already played a central part in the creation of the new prison, and so I very much look forward to continue working closely with the Ministry of Justice, and the new prison’s operator to ensure that they remain proactive in maintaining these close ties with the local community and the people of South Leicestershire.”