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The government's efforts to fix the prison crisis may not work without "bold investment decisions", the leading union for the probation service has said.

Ian Lawrence, general secretary of Napo, said a review of sentencing policy by former Conservative Justice Secretary David Gauke "may come to little effect" if the probation service was underfunded.

The union boss said he supported proposals to scrap short sentences for some offenders and toughen up community orders supervised by probation officers.

But he said probation staff were already "overworked" and suggested any "cost cutting" could increase pressure on the service.

"I'm struggling to see how a package of sentencing reform can work without the necessary support," Lawrence told the BBC.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said a "crisis" in the justice system had "put a huge strain on the probation service".

"We are hiring 1,300 new probation officers, investing in technology to cut back on admin, and increasing focus on those offenders who pose the greatest risk to the public," the spokesperson said.

"This will ease pressure on the service, help cut reoffending and keep our streets safe."

Gauke is understood to be considering recommending the idea of scrapping short prison terms as part of the sentencing review.

The review comes as prisons across the country are struggling to deal with overcrowding after the number of offenders behind bars hit a new high.

In an interim report, Gauke warned that unless radical changes were made, prisons in England and Wales could run out of cells by early next year.

Gauke's sentencing review is expected to be published this month, before the government sets out its spending plans for departments in June.

"Napo would welcome any initiatives to reduce the numbers of people in our prison estate," Lawrence said.

"But that can't come without the lord chancellor absolutely recognising the pressures that the probation service is now facing and will in the future.

"And that's why we need brave, bold investment decisions by this government and not more of the same."

Tight budget

The prisons and probation budget fell by 12% when inflation was accounted for between 2007–08 and 2023–24, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has outlined plans for efficiency savings and in her spring statement, said day-to-day government spending would fall by £6.1bn per year by 2030.

But the chancellor has not yet stated which departments will have less money to spend, meaning it's not clear how the probation service will be affected.

The money allocated to government departments for the three years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in the spending review in June.

Lawrence said a reduction in funding for the Ministry of Justice, which oversees the probation service, could mean less funding to support offenders in the community and worse outcomes.

"In other words, they go out of prison and they've got no option but to commit crime because they have no means of supporting themselves," he said.

"They're back in prison within weeks. And so it goes on and that costs the taxpayer millions."

A source at the Prison Reform Trust, a charity, said the probation service would need to be resourced properly if there was more community sentencing.

They said the government may have to divert funding from prisons towards probation and community solutions.

"It needs to make a strong economic case for why this would be a spend-to-save policy," they said.

Pay dispute

In a national inspection report, the probation watchdog said there was a high shortfall of officers in some regions and workloads were a problem.

Lawrence said Napo was in dispute with the prison and probation service over pay progression and workloads.

He said the union had submitted a claim for a 12% pay rise for probation staff this year.

That's way above the increases independent pay review bodies have advised the government to give teachers (4%) and NHS workers (3%).

Lawrence said probation workers going on strike was a possibility if the pay offer was too low.

"We think senior leaders in [the service] have a responsibility to let ministers know the gravity of the situation," he said.

"And that worries me as to whether ministers are truly sighted on the operational crisis that exists in probation right now."

In a speech in February, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out her vision for reforming the probation service.

She said probation officers were "responsible for caseloads and workloads that exceed what they should be expected to handle".

The changes she announced included 1,300 new trainee probation officers by next March, and an £8m investment in new technology to reduce the administrative burden on staff.

The appeal of a former nurse who was convicted of murdering four elderly patients is a "straightforward" case, the Court of Appeal has heard.

Colin Campbell, formerly known as Colin Norris, was found guilty in 2008 of killing four women by injecting them with insulin and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Doris Ludlam, 80, Bridget Bourke, 88, Irene Crookes, 79, and Ethel Hall, 86, were inpatients on orthopaedic wards where Campbell worked in Leeds in 2002 and developed unexplained hypoglycaemia.

However, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which referred the case to the Court of Appeal four years ago, said prosecutors had relied on a "wholly circumstantial" case.

Campbell, originally from Glasgow, was also found guilty of attempting to murder another inpatient, with his sentence carrying a minimum term of 30 years.

On the 13th day of the appeal hearing in London, judges heard closing submissions from Campbell's barristers.

In written submissions, Michael Mansfield KC said: "The appellant submits that this is a straightforward case in which this court must conclude that these convictions are unsafe."

Campbell, who denied any wrongdoing and said he did nothing to cause hypoglycaemia, unsuccessfully appealed against his conviction in 2009 and applied to the CCRC in 2011.

James Curtis KC, representing the Crown Prosecution Service, told the court there were "certain matters to which we take exception" from the defence's closing submissions.

"There are a number of matters that I would seek to issue corrections on, things we firmly disagree with my learned friend on," he said.

The appeal before Lady Justice Macur, Sir Stephen Irwin and Mr Justice Picken is due to conclude on Friday.

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Cutting waste bin collections to once every three weeks is being considered by a council.

The idea is being looked at by South Norfolk District Council as a way to help reduce costs, with a meeting told collecting general waste less frequently could help increase recycling rates.

However, some councillors were sceptical, suggesting it could result in a build-up of unpleasant waste, including used nappies.

A meeting of the scrutiny committee was told the council's cabinet would discuss the idea in more detail at a later date.

Currently, general waste bins are collected every fortnight.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the proposal to make changes emerged in discussions about the implementation of weekly food waste collections, which will be introduced next year.

The government is requiring councils to bring in the service and Conservative-run South Norfolk recently started buying the necessary vehicles and containers.

It is planning to start phased collections from the deadline of April next year but said it would not be able to procure enough vehicles for a full district rollout immediately.

The upcoming changes to waste collections has led to the authority looking at other aspects of the service, with officials asked to consider how reducing the frequency of non-recyclable waste collections could help to increase recycling rates and cut costs.

Labour councillor Deborah Sacks said changing to collections of general waste every three weeks would be "a big step" and wanted to know more about how much they would save.

Conservative Kathryn Cross warned making such a change would be "complicated".

"Added to the fact that you have waste like nappies and things, which, building up over three weeks is not going to be very nice," she said.

The daughter of a former professional footballer, who died in 2021, said she was "very disappointed" that an inquest into his death had been adjourned for a further 14 months.

Colin Flatt – who played for Southend United, Leyton Orient and Barnet in the 1960s and 70s – died in September 2021, aged 81.

An eight-day inquest into his death commenced on 9 June, but assistant coroner Tina Harrington ruled that, for legal reasons, it should be heard in front of a jury, with the soonest available date being August 2026.

Debra Taylor, daughter of Mr Flatt, told Essex Coroner's Court that "words fail me" after the adjournment was announced.

'Reluctant' decision

Mr Flatt was described as "forever a Shrimper" in a tribute from the Southend United Ex-Players Association, which said that he scored eight goals in 24 appearances during the 1966-67 season.

He also walked out at Wembley in the FA Trophy for Barnet in 1972, and played for other clubs including Romford.

Mrs Taylor expressed her frustration as the inquest into her father's death was delayed for more than a year.

Addressing the assistant coroner, she asked: "Is the jury going to make a difference? I don't know. Will the outcome be different to what you would have ruled? I don't know."

"It was a delay which could have been avoided."

Ms Harrington told Mrs Taylor, "I can only apologise", adding that her decision to adjourn had been a "reluctant" one.

Mr Flatt's partner of 20 years, Melanie Leahy, has been one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Lampard Inquiry into more than 2,000 mental health deaths in Essex between 2000 and 2023.

In 2012, Ms Leahy's son Matthew, 20, died while he was under the care of NHS mental health services in the county.

The inquest into Mr Flatt's death is set to resume on 17 August 2026.