Women’s Centre branch closure – Greens demand answers

Greens are furious over closure of branch of Women’s Centre following cuts announced in February.

GREEN Councillors have slammed public health leaders and the Labour Council for failing to protect women’s services in the city, after news that a branch of the Women’s Centre is due to close following cuts.

Earlier this year, The Women’s Centre was forced to absorb an £80,000 budget cut after local health authority, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), took a decision to withdraw its funding for the charity’s women-only counselling service.

Green Councillors are demanding that the Clinical Commissioning Group, Police and Crime Commissioner and local Labour Council immediately review their funding commitments to support women’s services, saying that decisions to withdraw the counselling contract ‘almost certainly’ contributed to the closure.

Convenor of the Green Group, Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, said: “Further to helping to raise the alarm in February that the Women’s centre was facing damaging cuts, we have been devastated to hear that cuts to the Women’s Centre have left them with no choice but to close their Kemp Town office.

“For over 40 years now the Women’s Centre has been helping women in our city rebuild their mental and physical health. Many of these women are survivors of domestic and sexual violence and have relied on this support. There’s no question: it’s a lifeline. Despite counselling and mental health services being overwhelmed with new users, our city’s women will now be left facing longer delays for support, if they can get it at all. And again women are being expected to bear the brunt of cuts.

“A key contract for women-only counselling services by the CCG which was cut has almost certainly contributed to the closure. The Labour Council supposedly works in partnership with funders such as the Police and Crime Commissioner and Clinical Commissioning Group. There is no doubt in my mind that they must be held jointly accountable for the situation the Women’s Centre faces and must jointly re-provide services that will help. We also urgently call on the Labour Council to assist the Women’s Centre in their efforts to find an alternative venue for the drop-in and food bank service.

“With the new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy up for consultation, we are repeating our call for adequate funding and call on the CCG and other local decision makers to take serious action for our city’s women. 7,600 women and girls a year experience domestic violence in Brighton and Hove, so allowing any part of our Women’s Centre services to fold is completely unacceptable.” 

Despite Government assurances, Women’s services across the country have been hard hit by reduced funding opportunities, while changes to probation have also affected those that work specifically with women offenders.

Cllr Emma Daniel, Labour’s Communities & Equalities Champion, responded to the Green claims saying: “I have every sympathy for the Women’s Centre and I have; now I have been made aware of this request for help, asked officers to arrange an urgent meeting with them to see if there are additional ways in which we can help them. We have not cut their funding nor have I been asked to any meetings by this organisation.

“I hold regular open voluntary service surgeries and they haven’t attended these with any issues over the last year. These surgeries mark our efforts to be directly accessible to the voluntary sector as an administration and we intend to continue to be this accessible.

“HERE is an organisation which was sub-contracting some health services to the Women’s Centre, services funded by the Clinical Care Commissioning Group, and they did pass on contract reductions to the Women’s Centre. We have no control over such arrangements or influence to prevent this. 

“HERE, has leadership with close links to the Green Party and I am sure they will be embarrassed about the decision of Brighton and Hove Greens to choose this particular arrangement to highlight. I am sure this was not an easy decision and like all services in the public and voluntary sectors, cuts passed down from central government are incredibly difficult to deal with.

“The Green Party should focus on ensuring they use accurate information when campaigning, and that they campaign positively to a city that deserves better behaviour in public life. Rather than this misleading and exploitative campaign which I am very disappointed by.

“In terms of domestic abuse, we have continued to protect our funding for the services commissioned and I have worked proactively with Rise over the last six months and met with Survivors Network at their regular surgery to discuss the aspirations of women’s services going forward. A report will be going to the next NICE committee in July on the future commissioning plans for domestic and sexual abuse services.”

Lisa Dando, Women’s Centre CEO has confirmed to Gscene magazine that all politicians were circulated with a statement of their position on June 7.