A CHARITY set to deliver the district’s newly-commissioned drugs and alcohol service has insisted support for substance misusers will be maintained despite job losses.

Change, Grow, Live (CGL), which has been commissioned by Bradford Council, said it is committed to delivering the dual service which starts on October 1.

Until now the services have involved several agencies.

In June, CGL stepped in to temporarily run the Piccadilly Project Alcohol Counselling Services in Bradford and Shipley after its lead charity Lifeline went into liquidation.

A Bradford Council spokesman said Lifeline’s liquidation and the decision to combine the new alcohol and drugs services were not connected.

He also said integrating the services was not budget-related and that determining the right levels of staff needed to run it was CGL’s responsibility and not the Council’s.

He said: “Bradford Council was formally notified that the national alcohol and drug service provider Lifeline could no longer manage the Piccadilly alcohol service commissioned by the Council in June 2017.

“This was due to problems the organisation faced as a whole and not to do with the specific contract in Bradford.

“Lifeline’s services have since been handed over nationally to another provider CGL along with all staff involved in delivering the service. The existing contract was also due to end at the end of September.

“As part of a separate process, all alcohol and drug services across the district have been reviewed and a competitive tender to deliver alcohol and drug services in the district commissioned.

“The new contract was awarded to CGL and is due to start on October 1. It is CGL’s responsibility to determine it has the right staffing levels to deliver the commissioned services.”

Lucy Harrison, CGL director said: “The current framework model in Bradford involves several agencies working together to provide care and support for substance misuse service users.Following a decision to amend the model of service delivery by the commissioners and taking into account feedback from the service users, the service has been remodelled to be more recovery focused, more efficient and support easy access.

“We are starting a consultation process to assess the priorities and needs of the service to ensure service users have access to the same level of support and focus on recovery, and we are committed to delivering the new contract in Bradford.

“We are working closely with commissioners, unions, staff and outgoing providers to ensure minimum disruption.”

One drugs worker, who did not want to be named, said he had already received a redundancy letter from CGL.

“About 30 to 50 per cent of workers at drugs and alcohol projects across the district will be made redundant. It’s real scary times for us and the service users,” he said.