I WAS very interested in your article regarding Lancaster Castle still being a prison (Citizen Smith, Citizen, August 12).

Being a true Lancastrian I am in complete agreement with everything you said about this matter except for one thing, which is that the matter has been certainly raised between myself and government ministers.

During my year of Mayoral Office 1987/1988 I attended a function where the guests included cabinet ministers Douglas Hurd and Kenneth Clarke who were then in government office.

I took the opportunity of raising the matter of Lancaster Castle/Prison with Douglas Hurd regarding having the castle handed over to the city for a tourist attraction.

I received the shortest shrift you ever did hear, and I feel that I am very lucky that I am not, to this day, languishing in one of the deepest and dankest dungeons for my heresy.

The gist of the reply was that far from reducing the number of prisons, 'they' needed more. End of that conversation!

If your article has a more positive result than my endeavours I am sure that everyone would be most delighted.

PS In those days (1987/88) goodness knows what the City Council could have done with such an expensive undertaking as revamping the castle because there was no lottery money then, you know!

Cllr Arthur Briggs, Main Road, Bolton-le-Sands

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