Agenda item

Dr L Sullivan declared that her husband served as the Chair of Gravesham Borough Council’s Community Safety Panel and held the Cabinet Portfolio which included Crime and Disorder.

1.            Mr D Whittle, Ms S Annan-Veitch, Mrs A Beer and Ms A Agyepong responded to comments and questions from the committee, including the following:-

a)    asked if female staff would be surveyed to see if they felt safe working for the County Council, and if they would be happy for their daughters to work for the Council, Mrs Beer advised that the 2022 staff survey, just launched, included a question about feeling safe at work, so data from this would become available later;

b)    asked about the provision and spending of Government funding, and why there was an underspend in the last financial year, Mr Whittle advised that the 2021/22 funding had been provided to councils ‘in year’ and that the establishment of new arrangements, including resourcing and staffing, took time and hence had led to an underspend.  He also advised that all south-east authorities had been in a similar situation and, as a result, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) had agreed that funds could be rolled forward to the next financial year;

c)    asked why money used to address governance and administrative issues, for example, increasing data capture, was not spent instead on frontline services, Mr Whittle advised that the duties under the Act and the grant provided by Government didn’t only relate to the provision of safe accommodation but was to support the new statutory multi-agency Domestic Abuse Partnership and the needs assessment on which the Domestic Abuse Strategy and commissioning activity was based. As such, these were legitimate costs necessary to meet the statutory obligations;

d)    asked for a breakdown of this spending, beyond the information included in the appendix to the report, Mr Whittle undertook to provide more detailed information after the meeting.  He also suggested that the committee have a regular update report on work to address domestic abuse, perhaps six-monthly or annually;

e)    Ms Annan-Veitch advised that the service was very proud of having recently received accreditation by the White Ribbon Campaign.  Domestic abuse was a very difficult and complex subject to address and this was an indication that what the Council was doing was effective. In addition, the Lived Experience Engagement Programme (LEEP) was a good example of partnership working and engagement, to help the Council understand the experiences of those who have lived through domestic abuse.  Ms Agyepong, Chair of the Partnership Board, commented on the good work going on in local authorities to address issues around domestic abuse and said the Act had brought a good opportunity to address to work together to address needs;

f)     a view was expressed that more provision was needed for children to be accommodated at refuges, as many parents would not leave an abusive relationship if they could not take their children with them.  This should be the highest priority.  Ms Annan-Veitch advised that the Children’s Commissioner had also identified this issue as a priority to be addressed; and

g)    another speaker added that refuges for men were also needed, as 26% of cases of domestic abuse were against men. Only 1 in 20 male victims were known to seek help.  All victims of domestic abuse should have equal access to shelter and support.

2.            The Chair acknowledged the good work going on to address issues around domestic abuse and agreed that the Council should continue to pursue funding to support his work.

3.                  It was RESOLVED that the information set out in the report and given in response to comments and questions be noted, with thanks, and that regular update reports be submitted to the committee, at a frequency to be agreed.