COST cutting budget proposals at North Ayrshire Council could see funding for North Ayrshire Women's Aid slashed.

The decision may be made as executives prepare budget plans for 2023/24 - with required savings anticipated to be around £14.5million.

In documents shared with us from a council source, one of the options being explored is to "reduce funding for women at risk of violence contracted services" by £50,000.

This could mean a reduction in funding for North Ayrshire Women's Aid, and subsequently, the services they can provide.

The news was brought to us during White Ribbon campaign's 16 Days of Action to promote the end to violence against women and girls.

This was a pledge - to never commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against women - which North Ayrshire Council pledged their support to.

This saw many events taking place across the county from November 25 until December 10, such as the 'Reclaim the Night' march in Irvine on Tuesday, December 6.

No decision has yet been made on whether this cut will be carried forward - though it would not be the first of its kind in North Ayrshire.

In 2014, while the council was under an SNP administration, they moved to slash North Ayrshire Women's Aid's budget by 20 per cent. In the two years prior, their budget had already been cut by eight per cent.

Back in 2014, decision was confirmed just one day after elected members stood side-by-side with Women’s Aid members who led their White Ribbon march against domestic violence through the streets of Irvine.

At the time, the decision led to mass public outcry, and letters were written to national politicians, including the First Minister - but to no avail.

Though North Ayrshire Council were keen to emphasise that no decision has been made this time around and that no cuts are finalised.

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “It’s important to stress that no decisions have yet been taken on budget savings for next year.

“We will shortly be undertaking consultation across North Ayrshire which will inform us of our residents’ priorities ahead of the Budget being set.

“However, across Scotland and the United Kingdom, everyone is feeling pressure from the Cost-of-Living Crisis and the Council is not immune from that.

“Over the past 12 years, we have had to find savings of more than £129 million while ensuring we protected frontline services and jobs.

“And there’s no doubt that difficult financial choices continue to lie ahead for all of us. For the financial year 2023/24, we currently anticipate a funding gap of £14.5million, while our financial outlook also indicates the Council has an anticipated budget gap of £35m over the next three years.

“Rising inflation and energy costs have created additional pressures on our already challenging financial position.

“Unfortunately, that means that a wide range of difficult options are likely to be considered in order for us to deliver a balanced budget.

“However, no decisions will be taken on how to achieve these savings until Full Council meets to consider the 2023/24 Budget on March 1, 2023.”