Domestic Abuse: Emergency Accommodation

Lord Jamieson Excerpts

Wednesday 26th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Levitt (Lab)]

The short answer is that the £30 million uplift is bringing funding to £160 million per year. In 2024-25, 76,850 individuals, including children, were supported in safe accommodation, but we recognise that that left just under 30,000 who were in effect turned away because the provision was not there. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Part 4 evaluation is showing progress in this, but it highlights the needs for further improvements. The department funds No Woman Turned Away, which offers caseworker support to access refuges and other forms of accommodation provided by local authorities.

[Lord Jamieson (Con)]

My Lords, Labour pledged fairness and protection for domestic abuse victims, yet refuges are shutting, councils are financially stretched and housing delivery plans are years away from delivery. How do the Government justify these gaps while reorganising local government? Will the Minister admit that without a national ring-fenced strategy for domestic abuse housing, Labour’s promises will fail victims?

[Baroness Levitt (Lab)]

I do not accept that at all, hence the increase in funding and the fact that we have given a guarantee that for at least the next three years, the funding will remain stable at least, allowing local authorities to plan with consistency and security, knowing what the level of funding is going to be.