Warwickshire County Council's plans to cut one-on-one therapy for some domestic abuse victims have left councillors fearing the worst. 

The county's Domestic Abuse Specialist Counselling and Therapy Service is earmarked for £33,000-per-year savings – its annual budget is currently £400,000 – from the start of the financial year 2026-27.

The current deal runs out at the end of May 2026 with the process of recommissioning within the smaller budget now underway. 

The council's report, put together by employed professionals to inform the Reform UK councillors tasked with signing off the decision, details how around half of the 400 victims and children currently offered one-to-one counselling or therapy sessions – those who are in safe accommodation dedicated solely to domestic abuse survivors – are legally entitled to the support. 

It is discretionary for the 200 who live in other settings but the council's report acknowledges it is seen as "good practice" to help them, often preventing them from needing more help further down the line. 

The report says that "it is expected that the service can be delivered within this reduced budget without decreasing the number of people receiving support… by revising the offer to include group therapy sessions where appropriate instead of only one-on-one sessions". It also refers to "varied

models of support, some of which are more cost-effective.". 

The cabinet – the panel of Reform UK councillors in charge of major service areas – was tasked with approving the start of the procurement process on this basis, a thankless call as it inherited the financial cut from the previous Conservative administration, but one it made without dissent despite concerns over the proposed methodology.

Cllr Judy Falp said: "To me it is cutting a service.

"This is not the sort of thing that is easy to do in a group. I have worked in children's centres for many years with people who have suffered domestic violence and they don't want to sit in a group and discuss what has happened to them.

"I just don't think it works for the majority of people in this field.

"I want to see you closely monitoring this. I will be asking you what is happening every three months (when performance data is published), whether this cut is making a difference, how you know the answer to that and whether you have spoken to the people accessing the service, not just the provider. 

"I can't say I am happy with this. I understand we are in financial times where we have to look at things but this is a very vulnerable group."

Portfolio holder for adult social care and health Councillor Anne-Marie Sonko (Reform UK, Earl Craven) replied: "I am very passionate about this too. 

"I would like to put your mind at rest and say we will be monitoring this as closely as we possibly can, and we will be expecting you to come back to us to make sure we are." 

However, when pressed on the prospect of future cuts, Reform UK councillors offered no commitment.

The report states "further financial savings could be achieved in the short term" through only delivering mandatory help but warns that "this could see an increase in need in other service areas… with the potential to create a future financial pressure for the council".

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse asked for assurance that the service would not be whittled down to the minimum with Cllr Sonko replying: "We will carry out whatever our statutory duty is, that's for sure."

Cllr Roodhouse continued to probe, asking: "So you're not going to give that assurance today? You could go to statutory duty?"

Interim leader Cllr George Finch intervened with a call for cross-party working but also stopped short of making any promises.

"This is an important one for us all," he said. 

"You do face a financial situation in councils, that's the predicament we have. We are being buckled by the national government and we have to look at which things to look at. That's a problem we will continue to face.

"That is why I have said from day one that transparency and speaking to councillors from all parties on these things is so important for myself and the rest of the group.

"We are not arrogant or ignorant enough to say we can do it ourselves, we need to speak to different parties and all work together on this.

"It is not about me and it is not about you, it is about the people of Warwickshire and what they are seeing from inside this building."