THE man responsible for helping crime victims in Greater Manchester has launched a stinging attack on the Home Office.
Glyn Morgan, chief executive of Greater Manchester Victim Support, says vital services - such as comforting bereaved families and helping witnesses give evidence in court - are at risk.
The agency contacts some 160,000 affected by crime every year but managers say they must now cut staff because of a three-year freeze in government cash.
Despite dealing with more cases and being hailed by ministers and police, the Greater Manchester agency has seen its funding remain static at é1.9 million.
Beacon
Mr Morgan said: "We have been held up nationally as a beacon for how all Victim Support offices should work but now we're facing cutting our services.
"They are giving us less but expect more from it. The Home Office have frozen our funding at the same level for three years. By any calculation this is a reduction because it doesn't take into account inflation and our costs have spiralled in this time.
"This is at a time when the government are saying that victims and witnesses should be at the centre of the criminal justice system.
"We are now having to look at things like reducing training for staff and volunteers."
Deficit
The charity, which employs 100 staff and has 200 volunteers, made losses of é150,000 last year and this year expects a deficit of é400,000.
In March, 12 workers were made redundant after cuts in education and crime prevention.
The Home Office grant accounts for two-thirds of the charity's income, with the remaining cash made up from funding from councils and charitable donations. But funding from councils has also fallen and the agency is struggling to make up the shortfall.
Mr Morgan, a former detective chief superintendent with Greater Manchester Police, said: "During the Harold Shipman case, we had 93 volunteers looking after nearly 600 family members.
Increased
"There were only two police family liaison officers so we were the ones who visited them at home and helped them give evidence and took them to the court and back."
The Home Office said that funding for the organisation had increased substantially over the last decade.
A spokeswoman said: "It is important to remember that Victim Support is an independent charity.
"While the Home Office is a major contributor they are also able to raise finances from other sources such as local government and charitable donations."
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Victim Volunteer, Manchester (25/04/2006 at 18:24)
Mr Morgan should be extremely grateful to the Home Office for their funding to Victim Support & Witness Service.
The Home Office is a 'donor' to their charity; they like any other donor have the right to decide who and how much to give to a charity.
Victim Support & Witness Service is very generously funded through, for example councils, agencies and criminal justice board etc. Were they not advertising only last week for two new posts in the city?
This charity's accounts look healthy as does their reserve.
So, where has all this money gone to? Are they finding that their new central office in the City too expensive to run perhaps? Staying in offices based in the communities might have been more financially prudent rather than moving to a big city centre office.