Cash-strapped marriage guidance charity Relate is set to hold talks to discuss a funding crisis which could see it close in Bradford within weeks.

The charity, based in Westgate, needs £10,000 to stay open but last week failed to secure a lifeline from Bradford Health Authority bosses.

Relate chiefs want payment for their counselling service, which deals with 5,000 queries a year with a third of referrals from GPs, claiming it saves the NHS money in stress-related medical care. But the health authority has told them it cannot make funds available, prompting accusations it is trying to get something for nothing.

Relate's treasurer, Dr Marjorie Gardner, said it had been agreed to keep the service running until the end of the month and other sources of funding were being pursued.

The trustees were meeting on Monday to assess the latest financial position but without an urgent injection of cash it would be forced to close.

She said the health authority was happy to see GPs refer patients but not to pay for the service and she was disappointed the request for funding had been rejected.

"We want to help people who need it but we can't do that without the money," she said.

"The health authority talks about a partnership with the voluntary sector but where that means treating patients that involves money and we cannot have a partnership that is simply one way.

"I would be interested to know what they understand as a partnership and whether that is what the public would believe is a partnership or whether they are paying lip service to it.

"We need them to agree to a core funding package based on what we do for them and their patients.

"We want to let clients know what the situation is, and we have employees to whom we have a responsibility, but we are in a hand-to-mouth existence at the moment.

"We want to stay open but we have got to be realistic - if we don't get the money we cannot pay the rent and would be trading illegally."

A health authority spokeswoman said officials would meet the charity in May and it would also have the chance to ask questions in public at the next health authority meeting.

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