‘Reckless’ cuts to victims’ services will cost more than they save

Published: 10 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Cuts to funding for victims’ services are being described as a “false economy” that ultimately costs the taxpayer more than it saves, a charity has warned, highlighting a crisis point in Britain.

Victim Support, which helps people affected by crime across England and Wales, analysed the economic impact of its services and found that for every £1 invested, up to £10.80 is saved through reduced healthcare costs, maintaining employment, and improved wellbeing.

The charity said that fewer victims will receive support this financial year after cuts left services on the brink of collapse, compounded by rising costs and increased national insurance contributions for employers.

The Ministry of Justice had previously announced that core police and crime commissioner budgets, which commission victim services, would be slashed by 4.2%, alongside a freeze to ring-fenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding. The cuts have been branded “ethically wrong and economically reckless.”

Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones acknowledged the pressure on the criminal justice system, describing it as “under immense pressure” with “a black hole in the nation’s finances.”

However, Katie Kempen, chief executive of Victim Support, said the cuts are shortsighted. “Our staff and services are stretched to the brink. Investing in victim services actually saves money elsewhere across the state and economy,” she told the PA news agency.

The cuts come as the crown court backlog reaches a record high of more than 78,000 cases, with trials listed as far ahead as 2029, causing victims to face lengthy delays. Kempen warned that this backlog means Victim Support will be assisting victims for years to come.

The charity’s research drew on Home Office data and feedback from 4,495 service users in 2023, measuring the economic return of services through physical and emotional harm, lost productivity, and health service costs. The report, Support That Saves, concluded that every £1 invested in victim services returns £10.80 in benefits to society.

Multiple charities, including Rape Crisis England and Wales, Welsh Women’s Aid, Imkaan, and Women’s Aid Federation of England, have warned that the cuts could have “dire consequences” for victims of domestic and sexual violence. They urged the government to reverse funding reductions to prevent redundancies and reductions in critical services.

Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Helen Newlove emphasised that support can be the difference between a victim staying engaged with the justice system or walking away. In 2024-25, Victim Support assisted more than 655,000 people, offering services ranging from crisis support to long-term help for survivors of abuse, fraud, and other crimes.

The report includes stories like that of Gemma, a domestic abuse survivor, who described her specialist caseworker as a “life raft” while she returned to work under difficult circumstances. “I wouldn’t be in a full-time job, supporting myself, without her help,” she said.

Kempen concluded: “This report makes one thing crystal clear: the government’s cuts to victims’ services funding are a false economy.”