Brighton: Charity says it risks losing £130,000 in proposed council budget

The council said its contract with RISE is due to end in autumn

A charity said it could lose almost £130,000 of funding in the proposed Brighton and Hove City Council budget.

Almost £100,000 had been ring-fenced to March 2025, domestic abuse charity RISE said.

This funded housing support for the LGBT community, young families living in refuge and helped women with complex needs, RISE said.

Councillor Leslie Pumm said the council was not proposing to cut services it delivered to people impacted by abuse.

Mr Pumm, chair of the council's equalities, community safety and human rights committee, said residents impacted by domestic abuse would still be able to access services.

However, he said the council was facing its "worst ever financial crisis" and had to make cuts of more than £30m for next year to avoid bankruptcy.

The councillor explained that the council's contract with RISE would end as scheduled in autumn.

'News every charity dreads'

A RISE spokesperson said: "This is news every charity dreads and [is] compounded by the fact the council proposes these cuts will start mid-year.

"Given time we may have been able to fundraise and apply for grant funding to bridge gaps."

However, they said the time frame made that "an impossibility".

Mr Pumm said the council was looking at how it could work with the charity "while delivering the best possible value for money".

"We recognise the need for a more targeted approach to working with the LGBTQ+ community on domestic violence support," he added.

Councillors are due to consider revised options for delivering these services at a meeting of the council's equalities, community safety and human rights committee on 25 March.

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