Suicide risk claim over counselling service cut

Trade unionists have added their voice to the campaign to save Leeds Crisis Centre in Headingley from closure.

Leeds Council has blamed Government budget cuts on the proposed closure but health chiefs have argued that the NHS offers the services currently provided by the crisis centre.

Public services union Unison believes that closure will have an impact on the suicide rate in the city.

Unison's regional organiser Tony Pearson said the centre had saved thousands of lives over more than 20 years.

"If this service closes down, some of the most desperate and vulnerable people will not have the support they need to survive a crisis.

"I have spoken to our members who provide these services and they are in no doubt that more people will die if they are cut.

"We are building a campaign to save lives and prevent mental health becoming a Cinderella service at a time when increasing economic pressures on people will undoubtedly cause a rise in mental health problems and make the service even more vital to the general health and well-being of the whole city."

The city council says it is being forced to make "really tough and painful decisions" to make 150m savings over the next three years.

Council chiefs have argued that providing a counselling service – which costs almost 700,000 a year to run – is not one of the authority's "statutory" functions that it must provide by law. A council spokesman said the authority was talking to NHS colleagues about continuing investment in improving access to psychological therapies and other counselling services.

The council says that Leeds is possibly the only council in the country which was providing such a counselling service.