FRESH plans are in place to help ex-prisoners avoid becoming homeless after councillors suggested they were being “tipped” out of jail, increasing the risk of reoffending.

Members of North Yorkshire County Council’s corporate and partnerships scrutiny committee said they also feared for former prisoners’ ability to adjust to life after speaking to inmates on a visit to HMP Kirklevington Grange, Yarm.

The meeting heard while councillors were concerned about prisoners’ access to education and training in jail due an apparent lack of funding, they said action needed to be taken to bolster support for inmates on release from prison.

The committee’s chairman, Councillor Derek Bastiman, said while the key to reducing reoffending was providing access to work and housing, all too often employment and accommodation were not available.

The authority’s leader Councillor Carl Les said: “I am very pleased with the way the corporate scrutiny committee have been looking at some of those elements of work to see how we could join up those services if at all possible.”

Cllr Les said the county council would explore how it could help boost education and training for inmates after release from prison.

Cllr Bastiman added: “The main thing that stood out was education and tipping them out with just £47.50 in their pocket.

“There was one chap who had £47.50 and by night-time had £37.50 and still hadn’t found a bed. There was no family support there, no network.”

Members also questioned whether all local authorities were ready to take on statutory duties laid down in last year’s Homelessness Reduction Act, which are due to come into force in October.

The act stipulates local authorities must work to prevent homelessness and provide accommodation for homeless people, such as those released from prison.

Councillor Stuart Parsons said he was concerned the changes would not properly address the housing issues facing prisoners on release.

He said: “What will generally happen is when somebody knocks on the door and says I’m homeless, an awful lot of these prisoners will be considered to have deliberately made themselves homeless through being sent to prison, and at that point local authorities no longer have a statutory duty to house.”

The meeting heard authorities such as Ryedale District Council were ready to take on the work.

A Hambleton District Council spokeswoman said it already had  “good procedures in place” for people set to leave prison.

She said: “Shelter will refer into us with a release date and we try and accommodate before then - if not, they will be provided with temporary accommodation until we can re-house them.”