Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre (GCRC) has warned that services could be forced to close without urgent additional funding from the government. The centre says demand for its support has risen every year since 2021, yet funding remains short-term and insecure.

Last year the centre logged more than 40,000 contact points with survivors, up 42% on the previous year, and 3,100 women and girls received one-to-one support from trauma specialists. The youngest client was 13 and the oldest 79. The centre linked the rise in demand to more sexual crimes being reported in Scotland (a 3% rise nationwide and a 13% rise in Glasgow) and to greater complexity in reporting, navigating the justice system and accessing support amid court backlogs. Funding pressures have already affected services, with referrals to its Justice Support to Report service paused earlier this month while alternative funding was sought.

GCRC’s director, Claudia Macdonald-Bruce, said: “For the fourth consecutive year, demand for our services has continued to grow, yet we remain trapped in a cycle of short-term, insecure funding.” She added that the current funding model is not sustainable. The centre has calculated that an extra £500,000 across both funds would be needed next year to maintain current support. Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said the government had announced a £2.4 million uplift to the Delivering Equally Safe Fund for 2025-26, bringing total investment to £21.6 million for that year, and that the victim-centred approach fund forms part of the Scottish Government’s Fairer Funding pilot, with £32 million allocated to 23 organisations between 2025 and 2027, including £12 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence. Ministers are considering funding decisions beyond March 2026 and a confirmation is expected as part of the Scottish Budget process.