PROJECTS aimed at cutting offending in Glasgow are facing a cut in funding - leading to fears services will be hit.

The Scottish Government has decided to abolish the country's eight community justice authorities and establish a new body called Community Justice Scotland.

But Glasgow will receive only £50,000 from the overall pot of £1.6million - less than a quarter of the cash presently received.

City council bosses fear that could jeopardise the service and lead to a loss of the expert staff who are delivering life-changing work in local communities.

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The Glasgow Community Justice Authority, which is to be abolished, supports a number of projects including Tomorrow's Women Glasgow.

It was set up in 2013 and has helped hundreds of women avoid offending or re-offending.

The team brings together social workers, social care workers, mental health teams and staff from Glasgow Housing Association and the Scottish Prison Service to make a real difference to the lives of the people they are helping.

One of them is Nadine who suffered from childhood trauma and addition. Although never imprisoned, she was told after numerous arrests that she was on her final warning and heading behind bars.

It was then she was introduced to the Tomorrow's Women Glasgow centre in the Gorbals which resulted in her life being transformed.

She said: "I was terrified at first and had panic attacks but started to realise it was a safe place.

"I started to open up about the trauma, to stop my drinking and get my life turned around.

"This place has meant everything to me as it gave me structure, whereas my life before that was chaotic.

"Here is a structure with cooking, gardening, group work, individual support, arts and crafts and people to talk to.

"If this place wasn't here I would be in the gutter. I would be dead because things were getting worse."

The project works with up to 100 women at any one time, providing all the support they need in a single space.

Councillor Soryia Siddique, chairwoman of Glasgow's community planning partnership, said: "These services are literally saving lives.

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"They are helping people at risk of offending or reoffending to deal with their problems, get their lives back and out of the prison system."

Councillor Pauline McKeever, chairwoman of Glasgow Community Justice Authority, said without projects like Tomorrow's Women Glasgow more people would be dealing with addiction or mental health issues.

She added: "We are calling on the Scottish Government to provide more funding to support these projects which cannot be put at risk."