Cuts to victims’ services a ‘false economy’, charity warns,

Services in England are now at a “crisis point”, a charity has warned, warning that cuts to services for victims are a “false economy” that costs taxpayers more than it saves.

Analysis by Victim Support, which helps people affected by crime in England and Wales, suggests that for every £1 invested in the charity’s services, up to £10.80 would be saved through reducing the cost of healthcare, keeping people in work and better wellbeing.

The organization has warned that fewer victims will receive support this financial year after rising costs and rising employers’ national insurance contributions, as well as cuts, pushed services to the brink of crisis, according to a new report.

The Ministry of Justice announced that core police and crime commissioner budgets, which provide victim services, would be reduced by 4.2 per cent, as well as freezing domestic violence and sexual violence funding in December last year; these cuts were described as “ethically wrong and economically reckless.”

Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said the government had inherited a criminal justice system under huge pressure and “a black hole in the nation’s finances”.

“We must make difficult decisions now to ensure that we can deliver the justice that victims deserve, through our courts and across the system,” he said.

But Katie Kempen, chief executive of Victim Support, said the cuts were “ethically wrong and economically reckless”, telling the PA news agency: “What I have seen when I have been in my services is that my staff has been stretched, our services have been stretched, everything has been stretched to the point where we are literally on the brink.

“We know we support victims. We help them stay employed, we help them keep their welfare up. We help them stay in their homes. We help them stay in the criminal justice system.

“And what this research tells us is that investing in victim services saves money across the state and across the economy.”

The cuts come as the crown court backlog has reached a record high of more than 78,000, with cases listed until 2029 and victims facing long delays.

Victim Support is calling for cuts to be reversed and sustainable long-term investment in the service in the face of growing demand for help.

Ms Kempen added of the backlog: “This means we will be supporting victims for years to come.”

The research assessed Home Office data on the economic and social costs of crime and research into improvements from support for 4,495 Victim Support service users in 2023, finding a total economic return on services of £10.80 for every £1 invested.

The costs focused on three categories identified by the Department of Internal Affairs: physical and emotional harm, lost production, and healthcare.

Ms Kempen said: “This report makes one thing clear: the government’s cuts to victim service funding are a false economy.”

It comes after several charities warned the cuts would have “horrific consequences” for victims of domestic and sexual violence.

In December, Rape Crisis England and Wales, Victim Support, Women’s Aid Wales, Imkaan and the Women’s Aid Federation of England wrote a joint letter to the prime minister warning that the move would put the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in “jeopardy” and leave them with “no choice” but to make redundancies and reduce “lifeline” support services for victims.

Victims Commissioner Baroness Helen Newlove has repeatedly raised concerns about victims’ services, insisting last month that “support can be the difference between a victim remaining engaged or drifting away from the justice process.”

In July, the charity Rape Crisis England and Wales said three of its centers had been forced to close in the past 12 months and that severe underfunding meant two-thirds of its centers may soon have to cut vital services.

On Victim Support, Ms Kempen said: “We create waiting lists, we support people for shorter periods of time or we need to triage so we can see the people who need it most.

“But we can’t see as many people as we would like or as many as we have seen in the past.”

More than 655,000 people contacted Victim Support in 2024-25 to offer information and support.

People supported by the charity can range from helping victims escape dangerous relationships, to providing advice to victims of sexual violence, or helping fraud victims who have lost their life savings get money back.

Support can range from a phone call to years of support.

In the charity’s report, domestic violence victim Gemma (not her real name) described her specialist social worker as a “life raft” as she returned to work where she saw her abuser every day.

The 57-year-old woman met her partner at work and was traumatized by ending the abusive relationship, but she could not afford to quit her job.

Gemma said: “I don’t think I would have had a life if he hadn’t grabbed me and put me back together. I wouldn’t be working a full-time job supporting myself.”

The Ministry of Justice was contacted for comment.