Responding to today’s announcement of £6 million in government
funding to help councils prepare for the introduction of the
Domestic Abuse Bill, which from April 2021 will place a duty on
councils to support victims of domestic abuse, Cllr Nesil
Caliskan, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and
Stronger Communities Board, said:
“Tackling domestic abuse is an issue that councils take very
seriously so we are pleased that government has agreed to provide
funding to help local authorities prepare for the introduction of
the Domestic Abuse Bill, which the LGA has supported.
“With rising demand for support during the pandemic, the need for
comprehensive domestic abuse services, and effective perpetrator
interventions, could never be more crucial to prevent and
eliminate this appalling crime.
“The new statutory duty in the Bill has only been placed on
councils, but they cannot tackle this crime alone. Councils will
need the cooperation of other public services, including the
police, to work together on this.
“As well as fully funding the new duty, we are calling on the
Government to use the Spending Review to provide long-term and
sustained funding for early intervention and prevention
programmes and wider community-based domestic abuse support, and
the introduction of a National Domestic Abuse Perpetrator
Strategy. This funding needs to be similar in scale to the Youth
Endowment Fund which is £200 million over 10 years.
“We look forward to providing input to the full New Burdens
Assessment which must be available ahead of the new duty coming
into force.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Councils in England face a funding gap of more than £5
billion by 2024 to maintain services at current levels - this
figure could double amid the huge economic and societal
uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The LGA’s
detailed submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review
sets out how £10 billion is needed to not only plug this gap
but meet growing demand pressures and improve services for
communities.
