Councils are to receive a further £19 million aimed at providing safe housing for domestic abuse survivors, the Government has confirmed as part of its violence against women and girls (Vawg) strategy.
Ministers said the funding would help local authorities offer victims a "fresh start", building on £480 million already pledged over the next three years for support including refuges and sanctuary schemes.
The announcement comes ahead of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's unveiling of sweeping reforms to the criminal justice system this week. These are part of Government plans to halve Vawg, which it has declared a "national emergency", within a decade.
Around £500 million will go towards the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Duty, which places a statutory requirement on local authorities to provide support to survivors and children in safe accommodation.
Measures can include access to housing in refuges or confidential locations, or security upgrades such as lock changes and alarms for people staying in their own home.
Homelessness minister Alison McGovern said: “This funding will help local authorities provide safe accommodation and tailored support, including refuges and sanctuary schemes, so every survivor can access safety, stability and a fresh start.”
The Government’s Vawg strategy will be unveiled by Ms Mahmood on Thursday, after being pushed back three times this year.
Under the plans, specialist rape and sex offences investigators will be introduced to every police force in a bid to fix what the Home Secretary described as a “postcode lottery” of how allegations are handled.
Ms Mahmood is also expected to set out proposals to strip foreign sex offenders of refugee protections in an attempt to ensure they can be deported faster under reforms to human rights laws.
Plans will also be explored to widen the domestic violence disclosure scheme so that more offenders will have their past convictions released to their partners on request.
Nearly £2 million will also be invested into a network of specialist officers to target violence against women and girls online.
Speaking to broadcasters on Sunday, Ms Mahmood faced questions about whether the Government had pledged enough money amid opposition criticism of the scale of the funding commitment.
“All of our policies within this package are fully funded,” she told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
She said “there will be the money that we need” underpinning the announcements.
Referring to the announcement of specialist online units, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “It’s disappointing this Government has taken a year-and-a-half to announce a strategy, and the new money they’re putting into it today is a very small amount, it’s only £2 million.
“It’ll pay for less than one police officer per police force, or 30 in total, at a time when Labour have cut 1,300 police. So, I’m afraid it’s too little too late.”
The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign with Refuge last year raised almost £600,000 to build two new safe havens for women fleeing abuse.
Rishi Sunak to face Covid-19 inquiry questioning - latest
Britain condemns ‘politically motivated’ Hong Kong conviction of Jimmy Lai
The worst supermarket fruit and veg for pesticides
Hong Kong democracy advocate and media tycoon Jimmy Lai found guilty of sedition
Whole nation must step up amid Russian threat to Nato, armed forces chief warns
Hollywood ‘devastated’ at death of director Rob Reiner and his wife
