Agenda item

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Munro and Davies;

“This Council notes:

1)    Violence against women and girls (VAWG) includes female homicide, rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and controlling and coercive behaviour. Some of these are complex crimes which have a devasting and often life-changing impact on victims, their families and friends;

2)    Between 2018/19 to 2022/23, police records of VAWG in England and Wales rose by 37%. In West Yorkshire, domestic abuse related crimes make up 21% of all recorded crimes in region. However, this is the tip of the iceberg, as often abuse is never reported;

3)    It has been reported recently that approximately 2 million women a year in England and Wales are victims of male violence. It’s also estimated that at least 1 in 12 women are victims of violence perpetrated by men, which includes harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence;

4)    According to the Home Office, the national average cost to the UK of violence against women and girls is estimated to be in the region of £37 billion annually (including cost of health, legal and social services). In Kirklees, the Kirklees Joint Strategic Assessment (KJSA) has indicated that the estimated cost of domestic violence/abuse to agencies locally is in the region of £43 million each year;

5)    While victims of domestic abuse are not confined to a particular gender, the evidence shows that the majority of victims are women. Between November 2022 and November 2023, there were 59,681 total reported cases of domestic abuse across West Yorkshire, with 43,691 (73%) of the victims being female.

This Council believes that:

1)    Violence against women and girls is a significant issue on a local, regional and national level. It is a national emergency, and the scale of violence is akin to a public health crisis;

2)    There is a lot of good work being done at a local and regional level to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls and this Council commends the work already being done. For instance, Kirklees Council is a supporter of the White Ribbon campaign, which encourages men to challenge misogynistic behaviour. The Council also has a strategic focus on tackling VAWG through its Kirklees Communities Partnership Plan and focus on multi-agency collaboration and public safety initiatives. At a regional level, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is also taking a strategic approach through its Safety of Women and Girls Strategy, which includes a commitment to embed healthy relationships education in schools and communities, behavioural change through intervention programmes, improving safety in public spaces and strengthening services for victims and survivors;

3)    While Kirklees Council is actively working to tackle VAWG, there is room to do more, especially in terms of leadership, visibility and long-term investment. The Council should publicly appoint an elected member VAWG Champion – to provide visible leadership, ensure accountability and champion the voices of survivors in policy-making. The Council should also improve public engagement, as there is limited public-facing communication about VAWG initiatives. Furthermore, public reporting on outcomes and progress is limited, while the Council should also take a whole council approach, embedding VAWG awareness and prevention across all council services (including housing, education and licensing). 

This Council, therefore, resolves:

1)    To conduct a review into Kirklees Council’s procurement practices for commissioning VAWG services to ensure they align with statutory guidance and meet the needs of all survivors, including the most marginalised survivors;

2)    To appoint a Kirklees councillor as a VAWG Champion, to hold the council to account on these pledges and amplify the voice of survivors. The VAWG Champion will be a designated individual within the council who will be responsible for leading efforts to address and reduce violence against women and girls, including advocating for survivors, implementing strategies to prevent VAWG and ensuring that appropriate support services are available;

3)    To improve public engagement and transparency by publishing regular updates on VAWG-related initiatives, outcomes and community impact;

4)    For the Leader of the Council to write to the Home Secretary demanding an urgent Royal Commission into male violence against women. A Royal Commission is the highest form of public inquiry in the UK, and it would be set up to gather evidence and make binding recommendations. The Royal Commission could examine the root causes of male violence, investigate the failures of the criminal justice system, recommend long-term cross-government reforms (e.g. to education, health, policing and social care) and help to drive systemic change by focusing on the voices of survivors and marginalised communities.”

Item withdrawn.