Published December 22, 2016 at 16:50
Rossendale Council supports STAR via finance and business support to ensure a local provision remains in Rossendale.
Rossendale Council has today agreed to support local domestic abuse support provider The STAR Centre till March 31st 2017 following their unsuccessful bid for the pan-Lancashire contract under the Safe Together Consortium.
It was announced on Monday December 19th that the pan-Lancashire consortium, Safer Together, of which STAR was a member, were unsuccessful in their bid to be commissioned to run the victim support service.
As such, local provider The STAR Centre is faced with a financially challenging period till the end of March 2017. The Council has agreed to support them in the form of a £25k grant, alongside this we will also provide business advice and grant bid writing support to assist The STAR Centre in developing a new business plan moving forward with grant funding from other providers.
By taking this action the Council has ensured that there remains a domestic abuse support service in Rossendale right up till the newly awarded provider begins, Lancashire Victims Service, in April 2017, covering the whole of Lancashire. Without this intervention The STAR Centre would have ceased service by the end of December.
Leader of the Council Cllr Alyson Barnes said;
“We are happy to support The STAR Centre in this interim period both financially and with business advice. We want to help assist STAR, making sure that a domestic abuse support service is in Rossendale whilst the changeover happens between the current and new contracts. We hope to support STAR to securing finances so that they keep going independently.”
Debra Molyneaux Manager at The Star Centre welcomed the Council’s support saying;
“We are grateful that the Council has been able to support us so that our quality service continues. We will be working to best practice standards with the Council on our business strategy moving forward and applying for funding to secure our long term future.”
Councillor Annie McMahon, Portfolio Holder for Domestic Abuse, said;
“I have been involved with supporting The STAR Centre and shall do up to end of March and in my role as portfolio holder. I will continue to be involved with providers of Domestic Abuse services for Rossendale as this is an important service for our area.”
The STAR Centre provides an important role in domestic support provision and has done so for the last 20 years in Rossendale. We hope that STAR secure future funding so that Rossendale can benefit from this service.