Tavish Scott, the Liberal Democrat leader, has added his voice to a campaign to prevent a new prison at Bishopbriggs in East Dunbartonshire being named after the town.
Tavish Scott, the Liberal Democrat leader, has added his voice to a campaign to prevent a new prison at Bishopbriggs in East Dunbartonshire being named after the town.
Residents and East Dunbartonshire LibDem MP Jo Swinson are opposed to the new-build jail being named HM Prison Bishopbriggs, when it opens in 2011 on the former Low Moss Prison site.
Mr Scott said: "Local residents have made it clear they are against the name of the new prison but the Scottish Prison Service has so far been unresponsive to their protests.
"Against the backdrop of strong local opposition, there is clearly a need for the Justice Secretary to intervene by scrapping the proposal for the new prison name."
A 500-signature petition has been gathered and Ms Swinson said: "Residents do not want this prison to be the first thing people associate with Bishopbriggs. The Justice Secretary's silence in the face of local protests shows a complete disregard for the wishes of Bishopbriggs residents."
Meanwhile, Tories yesterday angrily rounded on the SNP in a row over prison overcrowding.
The Nationalists claimed a Tory quest for spare buildings to house prisoners had unearthed a children's development centre, among other locations, but the Tories hit back, accusing the SNP of selectively quoting from a speech by their leader Annabel Goldie. This made clear that Ms Goldie was looking only for buildings where public safety will not be compromised, said Tory justice spokesman Bill Aitken.
"For the SNP to distort something so completely is beyond reprehensible and it raises serious questions about their capacity for government," he said.
