Bedford Women’s Centre, which supports women in the community to improve their quality of life and that of their families, may have to adjust its services after a police and crime commissioner (PCC) grant was “unexpectedly” cut.
But the PCC’s office said it sees the Luton and Bedford All-Women’s Centres as a “valued partner” and hopes to have conversations around future opportunities – and added that the contract ended after three years as agreed.
The centre offers one-to-one support, mentoring, weekly workshops, and support groups aimed at promoting healthy relationships and eradicating domestic abuse.
Since 2023, it has been managed by Luton All Women’s Centre.
Speaking at Bedford Borough Council’s Adult Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday (25 February), Caroline Cook, chief executive of Luton All Women’s Centre, revealed that the funding had been withdrawn.
“In Bedford, we’re continuing to work with just over 300 women a year,” she said. “But that is probably the tip of the iceberg because for every woman who seeks support, many others don’t feel able to do so.”
Ms Cook explained that one of the centre’s key funding streams had been a three-year grant from the police and crime commissioner (PCC).
“Unfortunately, [the] fairly new commissioner has decided to have different priorities and the grant for Bedford and the grant in Luton have both been stopped from the end of March,” she said.
She described the decision as “really not at all welcome news” and said there had been very little notice.
“I don’t really understand the logic yet,” she added.
“There seems to be a shift away from directly supporting victims to supporting both perpetrators and people around victims.
“The way [the new grants] have been constructed means that there isn’t any priority for women’s organisational working with women which makes it very difficult for many of the women’s organizations across the county,” she said.
Cllr Tim Caswell (Lib Dem, Goldington), who also sits on the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel, said: “I’m not a spokesperson for the commissioner, but he believes he’s very focused on victims, which is reflected in his appointment of a deputy commissioner with interests in a similar field to yourself,” he said.
Ms Cook reassured the committee that the Bedford Centre was not at risk of closure, but the way it operates may have to change due to the funding loss.
Following the meeting, a spokesperson for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) said it has a “long history of good relations” with Luton and Bedford All-Women’s Centres, and recently funded the centre to deliver casework in domestic abuse.
“This funding agreement was signed in 2022 for three years, ending in March of this year,” the OPCC spokesperson said.
“The centre received their notice of the end of this contract in January this year and was informed that this particular opportunity would not continue.
“In this communication, the Office shared eight new opportunities with Caroline, including specifications for support for victims of gender-based violence, some of which would be very relevant to Luton All-Women’s Centres’ work.
“The PCC is absolutely committed to improving the support available for victims of crime in Bedfordshire and is focussed on this through both the work of the deputy police and crime commissioner, the mission boards, and the PCC’s new grant funding strategy.
“The OPCC continues to work with Luton and Bedford All-Women’s Centres as a valued partner and hope to have engaging conversations with them around future opportunities,” they said.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
Update: This article was updated at 16:22 on 26 February 2025 to include clarification that the funding was due to be cut after three years. This was not clear in the original copy provided by the LDR
