Governor defends party plans

A prison governor has defended plans to spend more than £13,000 of public money on a festive party for his staff.

About 450 workers and their families will be treated to a Christmas party, courtesy of Durham's Frankland Prison boss Phil Copple.

Staff from the high security jail will be entertained at Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham City.

Some prison workers have questioned whether so much should be spent on the £30-a-head affair.

But Mr Copple said the party was, in part, a reward for the prison receiving so-called 'high performance' status from the government.

He said Frankland was one of the best prisons in the country and had recently won additional funding to be spent on "staff recognition".

In a statement, a prison spokesman said: "Frankland Prison is having a staff Christmas function, the costs of which are being met from the prison's budget.

"The decision to do this was made by the governor, Phil Copple.

"Prison Service policy allows governors to fund such staff functions as part of our 'staff recognition programme'."