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LedgerGov.UK
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HM GovernmentPolice, courts, prisons

Build 14,000 more prison places by 2031

“We aim to construct 14,000 places by 2031.”

DeliveringMinistry of Justice 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy (GOV.UK), 11 Dec 2024
  5. Delivering

Where it stands

The Ministry of Justice says around 3,300 places have been delivered since July 2024 (9 October 2026), including HMP Millsike (about 1,500 places, March 2025); its annual statement counted about 5,000 places under construction at the end of 2025. The Spending Review 2025 provides £7bn between 2024-25 and 2029-30; the annual statement says completing the 14,000 needs money from future Spending Reviews. The 14,000 are the places the previous government's programmes did not deliver; they are newly built places, not net capacity. "By 2031" is read as by the end of 2031.

What has happened

  1. Dec 2024The Ministry of Justice's 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy aims to build 14,000 prison places by 2031, Promised
  2. Dec 2024The strategy sets out the build programme, with around £2.3bn for prison builds in 2024-25 and 2025-26, In plan evidence
  3. Jun 2025The Spending Review 2025 provides £7bn between 2024-25 and 2029-30 to build 14,000 new prison places by 2031, Funded evidence
  4. Jan 2026The annual statement reports about 2,900 places delivered since July 2024, including HMP Millsike, and about 5,000 under construction at the end of 2025, Delivering evidence
  5. Dec 203114,000 new prison places due by 2031, Deadline

About the cost

The Spending Review 2025 provides £7bn between 2024-25 and 2029-30 to build the 14,000 places, about £1.17bn a year on average over those six years (central); the Ministry of Justice put it as around £2.3bn in 2024-25 and 2025-26 and £4.7bn of capital in 2026-27 to 2029-30. No source gives a figure for each year, so low–high is an editorial ±10% around the average. Money for the places still to be built after 2029-30 is not yet allocated.

More detail

Sources (5)
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