PCC calls on government to reverse funding cut to victims’ services

As the nation marks National Stalking Awareness Week, which runs until April 27t, the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCC said he struggled to understand why the Government had seen fit to scale back the Victim Core Grant by 4.2 per cent over the next 12 months when – by its own admission – so many survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence desperately needed the support.

Mr Matthews said the consequences of the cut had already been felt with ten services already removed from the service offer across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. This meant less support for rape victims, domestic abuse survivors and the withdrawal of a specialist pregnancy and maternity domestic abuse support scheme, he added.

He also said the Government had not made any new funding available to support the implementation of recommendations from the Suzy Lamplugh 2022 Stalking Super-Complaint on the police response to stalking, and warned there was insufficient funding in Leicestershire’s current allocation to develop new programmes to address the worrying rise in stalking offences across the force area.

PCCs are allocated funding every year to commission vital services to help victims and witnesses of crime recover from their experiences, remain safe and to give them the confidence to come forward and pursue their right to justice. These services are critical for building trust in the criminal justice system overall and ensuring perpetrators are held accountable for their actions to keep communities safer, said Mr Matthews.

In his letter to MP Alex Davies-Jones, who is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Mr Matthews said his office had continued to work incredibly hard to commission and manage services that delivered the best possible service for victims and witnesses – despite shrinking budgets and spiralling demand.

However, he warned the situation was already close to “breaking point” with demand exceeding capacity due to inadequate funding.

He said: “A 4.2 per cent reduction in funding is so much more than a balancing of the books. It’s potentially a victim of crime not being able to access the support they desperately need.

“It’s a victim who will not be able to cope and recover from their trauma, leading to a life where their personal potential and their potential to contribute positively to society is lessened if not removed. It’s a victim’s family that will have to pick up the pieces, who may well need support themselves, but it will not be forthcoming.”

He added: “Many victims of serious crime, including our child victims, are already stuck in the national Crown Court backlog of cases, sometimes waiting several years for their case to reach trial. To cut funding at a time when our victims are already disengaging because of these unacceptable delays and wait times, is disheartening.

“Locally, we need to encourage victims to have faith in their criminal justice agencies, to feel supported throughout their victim journey, even when the national delays are unacceptable; the one thing that matters, is that we can adequately support them.

“We cannot do that if our funding continues to be cut and in Leicestershire, where we are already one of 18 forces who are disadvantaged by the draconian and unfair funding formula, which leaves us with less each year. To suffer yet another blow does not help us at all.”

Between April 2024 and December 2024, more than 11,500 non-domestic abuse or sexual violence victims were supported by Victim First – the PCC’s ‘one stop shop’ support service for all victims of crime.

Additionally, more than 5,700 standard risk domestic abuse victims and over 700 serious sexual violence and adult rape victims were supported.

Mr Matthews has already written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to urgently review the police funding formula and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson to explain the challenges posed by this year’s settlement, which he said had not fully accounted for rising inflation, national insurance increases, pay awards and new legislation including the ban on XL Bully dogs.

In making the case for a reversal of the current funding cut to the Victim Core Grant, Mr Matthews said: “I’m sure you agree with me that we need to do all we can to deliver the best service possible for victims. A funding cut does not achieve this and can’t be allowed to happen.”

Mr Matthews said victims and witnesses in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland “deserved better” and said he would welcome the opportunity to meet the Minister and her team to discuss the issue further.