Agenda item

   Report of the Chief Executive

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Public Protection, Leisure, Libraries, Facilities Management and Operational Assets presented a report which sought authority to endorse the proposals outlined in the report for use against the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) funding, to fulfil the functions of the statutory duty on Tier 1 Local Authorities relating to the provision of support to victims of domestic abuse and their children residing in safe accommodation.

Cllr Blair-Pilling reported that the Secretary of State for DLUHC has determined under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 that a grant of £125m should be awarded to local authorities to enable them to fulfil their statutory
functions of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 relating to the provision of specialist
support to victims and their families fleeing domestic abuse and living in safe
accommodation.  He informed Cabinet that the Council has been allocated £832,348 for 2022-23 (year 2 funding).

Cabinet members indicated that the funding was fundamental in supporting children and adults in the area of domestic abuse and they welcomed the enhancement of the local provision.

Cllr Ian Thorn commented on funding and whether anything not spent during 2022/23 would be rolled over into an earmarked reserve and used to support the continuation of the work; He also commented on the support available for male victims of domestic abuse.  In response, Cllr Blair-Pilling confirmed that any surplus would be rolled over to support future work in this area. It was noted that the need for support was increasing, and a property was being repurposed to support male victims of domestic abuse.  

Cllr Johnny Kidney, Chair of the Health Select Committee confirmed that the Select Committee considered a draft version of the report at their meeting on 22 September 2022. They welcomed the report, noted its contents and would receive an update on outcomes from the funding and other domestic abuse work in 2022/23.     

Resolved:

·       To accept the £832,348 allocated from the DLUHC for 2022-23 and endorse the proposals for allocating the grant

·       To agree to roll any surplus funding to an earmarked reserve.

·       To agree that any further decisions relating to the distribution of this grant are delegated to the Corporate Director of Resources, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Public Protection, Leisure, Libraries, Facilities Management and Operational Assets.

Reason for Decision:

Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 details the statutory responsibilities of the Local Authority functions relating to the ‘provision of support for all victims of domestic abuse and their children, regardless of their relevant protected characteristics, within relevant accommodation’ (as defined by the Regulations).

To support the implementation of new duties in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Wiltshire distributed its allocated year 1 funding (£830,051) to further strengthen the local support offer to victims and their families fleeing domestic abuse and living in safe accommodation. The decision making was underpinned from evidence from the local health needs assessment, an independent review of services including a map and gap, as well as service-user engagement.

In April 2022 government committed a further £125million to be allocated to local authorities, for year two, of its three-year commitment to invest in domestic abuse services. Wiltshire have been awarded £832,348.

To maximise the opportunities of this additional funding, enhancing the local support offer available to victims and their families in Wiltshire experiencing domestic abuse, Wiltshire requires Cabinet approval to endorse the proposals for the allocation of this funding across the local system.

The proposals seek to build on the learning from those projects invested in as part of the year one funding and allows for continuation where early results have been indicative of positive engagement and better outcomes for those using the interventions and in receipt of the support. Using the funding on those proposals included in the paper will enable work to continue and to ensure there are no gaps in service delivery, which could place vulnerable service users at risk.