Pressure over disparity between tackling domestic abuse and service cuts in Warwickshire

Warwickshire County Council is facing pressure over the disparity between recommendations to tackle domestic abuse while earmarking services for future cuts.

Councillor John Holland (Warwick West), leader of the Labour group on the county, this week queried why the framework that informs the upcoming budget setting process includes “reducing resources” for the Domestic Violence Service.

As they do each year, financial officers – the employed experts – at the council have set out a refreshed medium-term financial strategy (MTFS), the plan to make the books balance for the next five years.

While it changes year on year, the latest MTFS highlights the need to make £69.4 million worth of savings.

They are not all cuts with extra income or more money through government grants, such as the announced extra £500 million for adult social care nationally this week, factored in but as things stand, some valued services are put forward for cuts.

One of them is a “reduction in spend on service contracts through service redesign and finding efficiencies within service delivery models”, which includes the Domestic Violence Service.

Areas that could be trimmed include consultancy, training, communications, counselling and therapy and outreach services.

Incremental savings across three years from April 2026 totalling £646,000 are listed, although that factors in other services such as the Drug and Alcohol Service's non-statutory work. Areas highlighted for cuts include the substance misuse user involvement service and prescribing and detox in-patient services.

On January 10, Warwickshire’s director of public health Dr Shade Agboola unveiled her annual report which majored on the theme of preventing domestic abuse and violence.

She recommended that police, health partners and stakeholders work together to “create a safe and encouraging environment for victim survivors to report abuse” through “a plan of aligned and jointly prioritised actions”.

Dedicated resources and support for child victims to help mitigate the impact of abuse alongside greater integration with education and maternity services and those that work on suicide prevention were also advocated.

Cllr Holland, who commented last month that the public heath recommendations were coming forward too late to materially change budgets, said the potential cuts were “not in alignment" with the recommendations during Tuesday's meeting of the county's cabinet.

The budget for the forthcoming year and agreement on the current version of the MTFS, a plan that can change through circumstances year-on-year, will be decided by politicians on February 8.

Each political party has the opportunity to put forward proposals and can choose to prioritise certain services but the money has to come from somewhere – they are legally obliged to come up with plans that balance the books.

Councillor Izzi Seccombe OBE (Stour & the Vale) is the Conservative leader of the council and her party is almost certain to get the final say next month due to its strong majority.

She noted that the public health report makes recommendations to a number of partner organisations, which include NHS bodies and the police, not just the council, before throwing down the gauntlet to the opposition.

“It has never felt more challenging or more difficult and we are certainly not alone in that,” she said.

“The difficulty we have to face is the delivery of universal services, which all of our taxpayers pay for. They are so important to them and in some ways they do try to mitigate people falling into the demand-led services as well.

“It is really tough. All of us, I am sure, as councillors and within our own groups, are trying to address how we put those forward in the budgets that come into play on February 8.

“There is quite a lot for us to address at a time when, obviously, there is not any more money coming forward, yet the demand-led services around special educational needs (SEN) and adult social care are certainly pressing, more and more.”

She added: “I am quite sure, John, that you will want to consider your priorities. Maybe this would be one of those, and it may be one for any other group as well.”

Deputy leader and the county’s lead on finance Councillor Peter Butlin (Con, Admirals & Cawston) said: “I wait to see what you are going to put into your budget because as we have pointed out, our financial problems are all there to see. It will be interesting to see what you say.”