Relate closes south Wales office

The relationship counselling service is closing its south Wales offices

The relationship counselling service, Relate, has been forced to close its centre in south Wales because of a lack of funding.

Cardiff Council has withdrawn a grant for the organisation which provides advice for people who want to patch up their relationship.

It blames a squeeze on budgets which means it has to concentrate on its main work looking after vulnerable children.

Relate Cymru is to ask the Welsh Assembly Government for more money.

The counselling charity has closed its centre in Stow Hill, Newport.

Clearly, Relate does very valuable work, but its work did not fit closely enough with the core responsibilities of the council. Cardiff Council

A service is still being offered in Charles Street in Cardiff, Caerphilly and Rhydyfelin, with counsellors also available in Monmouth and Penarth.

Relate's chief executive Angela Sibson said: "It's disappointing. We've had funding problems from grants being withdrawn even though we offer services regardless of people's ability to pay.

"It is disappointing when people can't make the connection between unhappy adult relationships and secure and happy families.

"It is difficult for local authorities, they do have spending priorities, but Relate offers services across a whole swathe of social problems - family breakdown, young people and parenting skills."

'Tragedy'

A spokesman for Cardiff council said: "Financial pressures have led all council services to review their budgets. Difficult priority decisions have to be made in trying to hold down our spending.

"Clearly, Relate does very valuable work, but its work did not fit closely enough with the core responsibilities of the council.

"We therefore, reluctantly, withdrew our funding to them."

A former Relate counsellor, Ian Samaden, said the upheaval in the service was a tragedy.

He said: "When you take away that service, when couples or relationships are in trouble, they have nowhere directly to go.

"To take that away from a society that is seeing divorce and separation on the increase, is really very serious."