A YOUTH counselling service in Chipping Sodbury could be forced to close by April because vital funding has been cut by South Gloucestershire Council.

The Chat Shop has been supporting young people, aged between 13 and 25, in the area for 15 years.

The free service allows young people access to professional help with issues such as depression, anxiety, bereavement, addiction, anger management and relationship difficulties.

However, the charity was informed at the end of last year that the Children and Young Persons Department at the authority would no longer provide the £16,000 needed every year to run the service.

Without this money the service will close at the end of March.

The counselling service, which is based at Chipping Sodbury Youth Centre with further offices in Kingswood, takes on average 90 clients a year, all of whom are referred from local doctors’ surgeries and hospitals.

Ella Le Gris, a counsellor at the Chat Shop, said: "There really isn’t anywhere else for doctors to send people. There will be a gap when we are not here.

"This is an established local service that’s being wiped out by this battle over funding. We’ve had clients in tears about it."

South Gloucestershire Council has told the charity that the local health authority should be funding its work but South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT) reportedly told the group its budget was already set for next year.

South Gloucestershire PCT has told the Gazette it already funds similar services in the area.

The local Rotary Club has offered £1,000 emergency funding for the group.

"We are going to make sure that all existing clients finish treatments properly and not abruptly and we will use the emergency funding to do this," said Mrs Le Gris.

Northavon MP Steve Webb said: "This is just another example of the argument 'Should this be youth service or is it health?' And unfortunately because of the delicate and private nature of the service there are few advocates to fight its corner."

A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman said: "The Youth Service has historically funded a small number of counselling sessions for young people in Chipping Sodbury.

"However, Youth Services across the country are now being required to target their resources on the provision of positive activities for teenagers and the funding of therapeutic counselling services fall outside this remit.

"The Children and Young People department wants to move away from the adhoc counselling and support service provision we have at present and instead work with our partners, including the local NHS, to agree a range of services that should be on offer to young people across all areas of South Gloucestershire. This will benefit a much greater number of young people than at present."