It’s now ten years since the last prisoner departed Reading Prison, and nothing has changed at the site. Watch ITV Meridian’s report on ten years of government-imposed limbo and wastage at Reading Gaol below.

I am still calling on Ministers to rethink their approach after failing to sell Reading Gaol over the last ten years. To make matters even worse, the Government may have wasted three million pounds to keep Reading Gaol in a state of limbo.

The lengthy delay and the high cost to the Government show that a new approach is needed. I am calling on Ministers to work with me, Reading Borough Council, the local arts community, and other community groups, to save Reading Gaol and transform it into an arts and heritage hub.