Newcastle's embryonic health and wellbeing board should be given responsibility for overseeing the mental health of prisoners to help tackle chronically-high re-offending rates, former council leader Lord Beecham has advised.

Presenting a report to Newcastle City Council's cabinet on 25 July, the inaugural Local Government Association chairman said a ‘staggeringly-high proportion of the prison population suffers from mental health problems' – with nine out of 10 suffering one or more mental disorders, and seven out of 10 from two or more.