Update 15th May 2019:
Probation return to public control is welcome but must be administered locally, says UNISON
Commenting on the decision to return medium and low-risk probation cases to public control, UNISON national officer for probation Ben Priestley said:
“Returning probation work to public ownership is a long-overdue step in the right direction. But UNISON, along with the Labour Group of Police and Crime Commissioners, is convinced probation services are best delivered locally, rather than from the one-size-fits-all centralised model which is the National Probation Service.
“The sooner probation is put back into local control to restore the confidence of staff, service users and the public, the better. The ruin caused by Chris Grayling’s botched reforms shows the service is just not safe in the hands of the Ministry of Justice.”