Birmingham Conservatives: Government should scrap prisoner early release scheme to protect Birmingham residents
Birmingham Conservatives are calling on the Government to stop its prisoner early release scheme, warning that releasing offenders substantially earlier poses unacceptable risks to victims and the public, with concerns that Birmingham could be made to shoulder a disproportionate impact due to the amount of exempt accommodation and HMO's in the city.
A motion being brought to Birmingham City Council by Councillor Alex Yip, seconded by Councillor Richard Parkin, says the Government should abandon the scheme before the first releases under the new arrangements begin on 1 October 2026.
The Conservatives have welcomed the Government’s decision to exclude further categories of serious offenders from the arrangements. But they say this does not address the fundamental problem with releasing offenders substantially earlier than expected.
Serious concerns remain about offenders who could still benefit, including perpetrators of domestic abuse and other serious or repeat offenders.
Women’s Aid has raised concerns about the continued eligibility of domestic abuse perpetrators and the consequences for victims who could face the unexpected and substantially earlier release of their abuser. The motion warns this could expose victims to intimidation, harassment, coercive control, stalking, further violence and serious harm.
Councillor Alex Yip (Con, Sutton Wylde Green), Deputy Leader of the Birmingham Conservative Group, said:
“The Government should stop this scheme. People imprisoned for serious crimes should not be released substantially earlier simply because the prison system is under pressure.
“Our first concern must be the safety of victims and the public. No victim should have to live in fear—or discover with inadequate notice—that their abuser or attacker is being released far earlier than expected.
“The Government has rightly excluded some additional categories of serious offender, but that does not resolve the fundamental problem. Domestic abuse perpetrators and other serious, dangerous or repeat offenders could remain eligible.
“We are calling on ministers to think again and halt these early releases. If they refuse, the Government has a clear duty to protect Birmingham from the resulting risks and to fund fully the additional pressures its decision will place on local services.
“Birmingham must not become a convenient destination for offenders from elsewhere simply because the city has a large concentration of supported and exempt accommodation. A national prison-capacity crisis must not become an unfunded Birmingham problem.”
If the Government refuses to stop the scheme, the Conservative motion demands a series of safeguards to protect Birmingham residents and victims.
These include excluding domestic abuse perpetrators and other serious sexual and violent offenders who remain eligible; ensuring victims receive adequate notice and effective protection; and providing sufficient additional funding for the police, Probation Service, safeguarding teams and victim-support organisations to supervise offenders and enforce licence conditions.
The Conservatives are also warning that Birmingham must not become a destination for offenders from elsewhere simply because of the city’s large supply of supported and exempt accommodation.
Birmingham Conservatives are also demanding that the Government disclose how many offenders it expects to release into Birmingham during the ten planned tranches, their broad offence categories, how many have a genuine connection to the city, how many would be placed here from elsewhere and how many will require supported accommodation.
Councillor Richard Parkin (Con, Sutton Reddicap) said:
“If the Government presses ahead, Birmingham residents must not be expected to shoulder the risks and Birmingham taxpayers must not be expected to pick up the bill.
“Offenders with no genuine connection to our city should not be placed here simply because policy failures mean an oversupply of exempt accommodation is in the city.
“And where offenders do have a genuine Birmingham connection, the Government must provide the police, probation service, council and victim-support organisations with the money and resources they need before releases take place.
“This is a national Government policy. Its costs must not be quietly passed down to Birmingham.”
The motion calls for additional ring-fenced funding for West Midlands Police, probation, Birmingham City Council, housing and safeguarding services and organisations supporting victims if the scheme goes ahead.
It also calls for sufficient resources for electronic monitoring, enforcement of licence conditions and safeguarding work, additional neighbourhood policing, and for the Government to maximise the lawful removal of foreign national offenders and use existing prisoner-transfer arrangements to relieve pressure on prisons.
Birmingham City Council are also being asked to investigate urgently the likely impact on the city and report publicly on offender numbers, out-of-area placements, supported accommodation, additional costs and the measures being taken to protect victims and residents.
Finally the motion also calls for the Council to carry out a review on all policies and procedures relating to payment terms for exempt accommodation providers, ensuring they are not paid before the legal maximum time, so it does not act as a further incentive to landlords to try to benefit from any increase in numbers from the prisoner release scheme.
Notes
The motion will be considered by Birmingham City Council on 15 September 2026. Copies of the papers, including the motion, are available here https://birmingham.cmis.uk.com/birmingham/Meetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/15093/Committee/39/Default.aspx
