Doing everything we can to try to prevent domestic violence is important as is supporting the victims of it. Local authorities do good work on both fronts and I’m pleased the government is giving further support to assist them. Councils across England are being provided with an extra £125 million to fund safe accommodation, including refuges and shelters, for victims of domestic abuse. Across West Sussex, this will be well over £1.5 million. This funding will be issued as un-ringfenced grants to local councils who will then be responsible for making decisions on how the funding is best spent to benefit those in need.
This funding will provide support services including health and social care, benefits, interpreters, immigration advice, and drug or alcohol support. The government will also be revising rules on joint tenancies and local connections tests, in order to help make it easier for victims of domestic abuse to escape their abusers.
This announcement follows the government’s landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which places a legal duty on councils to fund support in safe accommodation for all victims and their families. More than £330 million has been invested since 2014 to provide support for domestic abuse victims in safe accommodation, with refuge bed spaces increasing by more than 20% in the past 12 years. On top of this, £4 million is being invested in the Respite Rooms programme which supports vulnerable rough sleepers impacted by domestic abuse.
Through the landmark Domestic Abuse Act, the Conservative government has transformed the response to domestic abuse, helping to prevent offending and make sure victims are protected and supported. Domestic abuse can happen in many home settings and I’m sure we all agree that this is the right thing to do.
The extra support being provided will provide a vital lifeline for victims as they try and rebuild their lives positively while feeling supported and protected. These changes sit alongside the new measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which will give victims of domestic abuse longer to report offences to the police, so that abusers do not evade justice.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
23rd February 2022
