Women’s refuges funding cut by 24 per cent over last seven years

Councils have reduced the amount they spent on women’s refuges by 24 per cent since 2010, an investigation has revealed.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that thousands of women and children have been turned away from domestic violence refuges in six month due to budget cuts.

Over three quarters of councils in England have reduced the amount they spend on women’s refuges since 2010, freedom of information requests have revealed. Simultaneously, the number of domestic cases registered by councils has risen dramatically.

The investigation showed that 50 local authorities received no money from the government’s new £20 million domestic violence funding pot.

Maria Miller, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, told the Bureau that refuges provide a ‘vital service’ and ‘need to be protected’. She called for the government to place a statutory requirement on local authorities to ensure there is a sufficient supply of refuge places in their area.