Victim-support cut to be devastating, charity says
- Published
Funding for frontline victim-support services is being cut by 4.2% in 2025, which organisations say will be "devastating" when combined with National Insurance rises.
The cut follows government promises of stronger protections for victims of crimes such as stalking and anti-social behaviour.
The government now says the justice system is under "immense pressure" but it will protect support for victims of sexual violence or domestic abuse.
But Victim Support, the largest organisation affected, says the funding shortfall means it will have to cut core services.
The charity is facing a 7% real-terms funding cut, once the upcoming rise in employers' National Insurance contributions is taken into account - effectively £3.5m, or 84 employees, it says.
And while funding for staff supporting victims of violence against women and girls will be ring-fenced, these specialist services cannot be run without funding for core operations.
'Going without vital support'
Victim Support chief executive Katie Kempen highlighted the Labour government's manifesto pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
“This unprecedented cut to victims' services funding, combined with the increase in National Insurance contributions, is devastating for our services," she said.
"Unless this decision is reversed, the stark reality is that people who have experienced the shock and trauma of crime, including domestic-abuse and sexual-violence survivors, will have to go without vital support."
As well as reversing the cut, the charity wants the funding raised to cover the National Insurance rises.
In recent weeks, the government has made a number of pledges to better protect crime victims, including:
The 4.2% cut is to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) funding from which police and crime commissioners in England and Wales commission practical and emotional support services for victims, based on their assessment of local need.
The separate Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund will remain at £21m for 2025-26, with no funding increase to account for inflation, while the MoJ's s overall budget for the same time period has risen by 4.3% in real terms.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “This government inherited a criminal-justice system under immense pressure and a black hole in the nation’s finances.
“We must now make difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve, through our courts and across the system.
"By protecting our support for victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse, we are ensuring help is available to survivors of these awful crimes as they seek to rebuild their lives.”
Laura Williams says her Victim Support caseworker is "such a massive help"
But Matt Randle, director of justice at Catch22, which delivers victims' services for in Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire and for young Londoners, said: “The changes to National Insurance are costly - and alongside cuts to funding, there is little room for manoeuvre.
"Government must work with the voluntary sector to find the best ways to make what money there is go further and properly meet the needs of victims."
Laura Williams, who was repeatedly beaten and abused during and after her relationship with her ex-partner, said her Victim Support caseworker had attended court with her and was "such a massive help".
"She is really down to Earth and always listens to me and has never judged me," Ms Williams said.
“I could ring her four times in a day or a week and she would answer the phone or say she would get back to me, which she always did."