Campaigners protesting against the removal of funding from women’s aid services in North Lanarkshire have secured cross-party support from 14 of the area’s parliamentarians.
They are now due to have a meeting with council leader Jim Logue and chief executive Des Murray to discuss the impact of the tendering process and decision for domestic abuse services, confirmed last month.
Monklands women’s aid and its two partner organisations in the area will lose out on funding of £352,000 per year after the contract was instead awarded to new provider Sacro.
Support North Lanarkshire Women’s Aid founder Margaret Lynch and Margaret Ann Pearson wrote to the council officials, saying: “We would like to request an urgent meeting to discuss ongoing financial support for women’s aid services.
“We want to work with you to see if we can find a positive way through the funding crisis which all three women’s aid groups are now facing.”
Their request for the online meeting is countersigned by SNP, Labour and Conservative MPs and MSPs from all five North Lanarkshire constituencies and the Central Scotland region at Holyrood.
Campaigners said: “It would appear that North Lanarkshire Council have achieved the impossible and united politicians across all parties in defence of women’s aid.
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“We are delighted at the support that our local members of the Scottish and Westminster parliaments have given our campaign, and we are equally delighted that it’s cross-party.
“This surely must send a strong message to the council that the community and its representatives want funding for women’s aid restored.”
Margaret Mitchell MSP said: “This is a really difficult moment for women’s aid and we are really hoping that the outpouring of support for domestic violence services provided by women for women will result in a positive outcome for the three groups in North Lanarkshire.”
Airdrie representative Alex Neil said: “There needs to be a solution found to this awful situation – we hope one that results in funding being restored in full to the three women’s aid groups.”
He spoke about the issue in his final speech to the Scottish Parliament, calling the contract process “a decision made with good intent but bad judgment”.
Mr Neil told Holyrood: “The decision by North Lanarkshire Council a few weeks ago to award a contract for local domestic abuse services to a national non-specialist organisation was a mistake.
“The same organisation will provide services to both victims and culprits – that is a backward step that flies in the face of what we know about best practice in dealing with violence against women.
“It will also result in the defunding of brilliant organisations such as Monklands women’s aid, which has done a huge amount of work in the field. I hope [the] council will rectify that mistake.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said of the campaigners' request: “A meeting will be arranged in due course.
“The council already funds women’s aid refuge services and we look forward to discussing how this work can be built upon in the future.”
