VICTIM Support Hertfordshire (VSH) – a charity which helps people cope with the effects of crime – has had its annual budget slashed by £150,000.

The cuts by the National Association of Victim Support Schemes (NAVSS) will mean a £56,000 cut this year and a further £20,000 decrease a year over the next five years.

The cuts mean that VSH, which has 22 staff and trained volunteers, will be forced to make up to 10 of its staff redundant between August and November this year. The budget cuts will start in October.

It costs VSH £450,000 a year to run, which pays for staff training and expenses.

The news comes after a report by the House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee into Victim Support, which claimed that reliance on the group's voluntary efforts made it difficult to provide a consistent level of support services across the country.

Ms Margaret Griffin, chair of VSH, said: "The committee's report values Victim Support's services but highlights the lack of consistency which results from variable local government funding and the availability of volunteers.

"Now that NAVSS is greatly reducing VSH's funding, the only 'consistency' that this can bring is that of falling levels of service to the victims of crime."