Cut to Inverness women's aid funding would 'put lives at risk' amid closure fears

Cuts to funding for Women’s Aid in the Highlands would “put lives at risk” and could force the closure of a refuge.

Inverness Women’s Aid (IWA) said funding from Highland Council for the next financial year was to be cut, after its outreach work funding was reduced by £115,000.

The charity estimates it will receive 475 referrals for help this year, up from last year’s 457.

Heather moved into Inverness Women’s Refuge after police contacted her over concerns about her partner. She was there for three months.

She’s just one of those for whom the refuge is a place of safety.

She told STV News: “It gives you your life back to a sense.

“It means you can sleep at night because you know no one is going to turn up at your door.”

Eilidh Ross, chairwoman of the IWA, said that “lives would be put at risk” if its refuge was to close.

She added: “If our refuge doesn’t receive any funding and if we don’t know about it soon, we are going to have to start taking steps to close the refuge and make staff redundancies.”

Highland Council says it’s committed to carrying out a review of refuge services in partnership with its housing service, and current contracts will remain in place until the review is complete.

The council says it is committed to supporting all victim-survivors of domestic abuse.