Bedford Borough Council in line to receive hundreds of thousands of pounds to provide support for domestic abuse victims

Bedford Borough Council is in line to receive hundreds of thousands of pounds to help it provide support for domestic abuse victims and their children, figures reveal.

The money – a slice of the £125 million pot for all local authorities across England – will fund a new legal duty on councils to ensure victims can access vital services in safe accommodation, including refuges, as part of the Government's domestic abuse bill.

Safeguarding minister Victoria Atkins said providing safe accommodation for such services, including therapy, advocacy and counselling, will support survivors to "recover and rebuild their lives".

A breakdown released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reveals £335,779 will be allocated to Bedford Borough Council in the next financial year.

It is one of 120 "tier 1" authorities – larger councils which will receive the bulk of the funding and be expected to create partnership boards, which bring local services together, as well as assessing victims' needs.

They will work with smaller "tier 2" councils to carry out their new obligations, the MHCLG said.

A Bedford Borough Council Spokesperson said: “We welcome the news that Bedford Borough Council is one of the local authorities to receive this funding.

"This will mean that many more victims of domestic abuse will be able to access specialist support within the Borough, enabling them to rebuild their lives and those of their children, who can grow up in safety.”

Initially announced during the Spending Review in November, the multi-million-pound fund for councils is a key element of the bill aimed at giving better protection to those fleeing violence.

But the Local Government Association, which represents local authorities in England, said while it is a "step in the right direction", further investment is needed elsewhere to transform the response to domestic abuse.

Nesil Caliskan, chair of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: "A joined-up approach is needed, providing a broad range of support packages to assist victims and intervene with perpetrators to change and prevent their behaviour.

“While this first year of funding for the new statutory duty is positive, and there is a commitment from the Government to continue to fund the duty in future years, this should be a multi-year settlement that provides adequate and long-term resources to local authorities."

The domestic abuse bill, which is currently before MPs, will also introduce the first legal government definition of domestic abuse, including economic abuse and controlling and manipulative non-physical behaviour.

Home Office data shows 14% of all crime recorded by Bedfordshire Police involved domestic abuse in the year to March 2020, with 7,907 such crimes recorded.

Of those, 1,632 involved stalking and harassment, while 113 coercive control incidents were reported.

Tracy Blackwell, head of development at domestic abuse charity Refuge, said while the funding was welcome research by Women's Aid suggested an additional £48 million would be needed each year to meet demand.

"We hope it will go some way to ensuring local authorities can provide adequate, sustainable funding for refuges in their area. However, we know that more can be done," she said.

"Refuge is calling for sustainable, ringfenced funding and for the government to urgently commit to the £173 million needed to increase the number of refuge spaces available, which currently falls 30% below the minimum number recommended by the Council of Europe."

Minister for rough sleeping and housing Eddie Hughes said: "Domestic abuse is a heinous crime which threatens the lives of victims in their own homes where they should feel safe.

"It’s right that we’re giving victims support in safe accommodation and providing councils with money to deliver essential services that will help them and their children rebuild their lives.

"This is part of a long-term strategy to provide broader support for domestic abuse victims both in safe accommodation like refuges, and in their own homes."