Sadiq Khan pledges £15m for fight against domestic abuse

By Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is giving a £15million funding package to help tackle what he calls a “hidden crisis” of domestic abuse in London.

The money will support projects providing safe accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse, specialist counselling and outreach services.

The investment comes as Met figures show domestic abuse rates have been higher on average over the past year, compared with the 12 months before the pandemic.

While 89,719 offences were recorded by the Met between March 2019 and February 2020, the figure between January and December 2023 was 96,768 – a rise of almost eight per cent.

The borough with the highest number of domestic abuse offences recorded in 2023 was Croydon, with 4,977 incidents.

City Hall believes that the increase can be partly due to better recording practices from the police and an increase in victims coming forward to report crimes.

The cost-of-living crisis is thought to also be exacerbating the situation – as survivors are increasingly forced to choose between staying in an abusive situation or face financial hardship

Speaking at a visit to the East European Resource Centre in Hammersmith, the Mayor said: “I think domestic abuse is a hidden crisis that we don’t talk about enough.

“We’ve got to be tackling the perpetrators – we are in London, with GPS tagging for those released from prison, so that their licence conditions aren’t breached.

“We’ve got to be supporting victims and survivors in relation to safe accommodation, but also counselling, therapy, advocacy and support, so they have the confidence to carry through with the prosecution, but also rebuild their lives too.”

Picture: London Mayor Sadiq Khan (Picture: Noah Vickers)