Review into women's refuge provision 'not money-saving exercise', says Highland Council

Highland Council remains adamant that the review into women’s refuge provision in the region is not a money-saving exercise.

Highland Council’s health, social care and wellbeing committee met on Wednesday (August 19) to discuss an update on the review into two vital refuge services in Inverness and Ross-shire for survivors of domestic abuse.

However, during the discussion, Councillor Richard Gale (East Sutherland and Edderton, Liberal Democrats) accused the local authority of using it as a way simply to cut costs.

He said the review’s “main focus seems to be saving money”.

The review was launched in 2024 to look at outreach, refuge provision and emergency funding for high-risk cases.

There were two separate reviews undertaken, one for outreach service provision and the other for refuges.

Contracts for outreach services have now been issued to three Women’s Aid (WA) organisations covering the far north, mid and west of the Highlands, but the south was awarded to Inverness and Badenoch and Strathspey Citizen’s Advice Bureau as Inverness WA did not put forward an application, following disagreements with the council.

The review into refuge provision is still ongoing, as an update provided to the committee stated there has been a “slight delay” in its completion.

Inverness and Ross-shire WA, which provide the only refuge services in the region, have both raised deep concerns about the review, with fears raised over funding stability and possible closures.

The report to councillors stated: “Work has commenced on the options appraisal, but this has still to be completed. This will continue at pace with a view to being completed by the end of August.”

The delay means the continued funding arrangement for both WA refuges will remain in place until March 2027.

But, as noted in the same paper, the council saved around £100,000 from Women’s Aid groups in Inverness and Ross-shire in October 2024.

The report explained: “Savings identified through contract reviews have been achieved through detailed examination of contractual arrangements, service utilisation, funding streams and service design rather than through indiscriminate reductions in provision.”

Following the comment made by Cllr Gale regarding cost cutting the committee chairman Councillor David Fraser (Aird and Loch Ness, Independent) insisted: “This exercise is not about saving money.”

Cllr Fraser welcomed the update on the review and was glad, “we are not rushing the review to meet an artificial deadline”.

Fiona Duncan, the council’s chief social worker, backed the chairman and the review as she said, “the world changes, we need to move with that – it is looking to keep women safe”.