THE privatisation of three North-East prisons will move a step closer today with the Government launching a search to find new operators.

Conservative Justice Secretary Ken Clarke announced plans to hand management of nine prisons, including Durham, and Acklington and Castington, both in Northumberland, to private companies in July.

Today, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will formally launch a competition process, with the winners expected to be announced next autumn.

Politicians and prison officers are concerned privatisation will mean cost-cutting and put jobs at risk.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, the probation officers’ union Napo and the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) are planning to protest outside today’s meeting, being held at the MoJ, in London, calling for the public sector to be given a “fair go” in the bidding process.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, said: “We believe it is morally indefensible to seek to make a profit from locking people up and rehabilitating them and are opposed to any further privatisation.

“But the Government appears to be ideologically committed to selling off more essential public services like this and tilting the balance in favour of privatisation.”

The PCS claims the MoJ plans to add “notional costs”

to public sector bids to create what it believes to be a level playing field.

However, an MoJ spokesman said: “The Government is committed to ensuring there is a fair and transparent competition process and that the outcome represents best value to the taxpayer.

“The public have a right to expect continuing improvement in the quality and efficiency of public services, without compromising public safety.

“The competition strategy and adjustments to the prison estate will help ensure that this is the case.”

Durham is a 200-year-old category B jail. The other prisons which could be privatised are Onley, Northamptonshire, Coldingley, Surrey, and Lindholme, Moorland and Hatfield, all near Doncaster. The Wolds, near Hull, which is run by G4S, is also included.

Previous jail privatisations have triggered threats of walkouts by the POA, even though strikes are banned by law.