CRIMINAL justice funding cuts in Inverclyde could result in more offenders failing to complete their community sentences.

Inverclyde’s health and social care bosses have warned that a Scottish Government proposal to reduce funding locally by 20 per cent over the next five years will have a drastic impact.

A report to Inverclyde’s joint integration board said social work services will be unable to sustain the current support levels, which are required to ensure unpaid work is carried out.

Seventy five per cent of all those sentenced come from the poorest areas of Inverclyde and as a result need more support.

A report by director Louise Long read: “This is significant in terms of delivering criminal justice social work provision as these individuals are likely to be in greater need in terms of the support they require to successfully complete their court orders.

“It will be increasingly challenging to sustain such levels of support going forward.”

As part of a new funding formula there will be a six per cent cut in funding year-on-year in Inverclyde.

This has already had an impact on women’s criminal justice services, with the withdrawal of programmes delivered by Action for Children.

Health and care chiefs are now trying to protect staffing levels as far as possible to ensure the delivery of criminal justice social work services. 

The convenor of the council’s health and social care committee has written to Justice Secretary Michael Matheson to raise concerns over the situation.

In a response, the committee were told that the impact would be monitored and reviewed in the future and that consideration may be given to mitigating the impact on smaller local authorities like Inverclyde who are said to have lost out under the new formula.