Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support survivors of domestic violence in South Cotswolds constituency.

This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls and supporting victims of domestic abuse, with a number of steps being taken across government.

On 28 November, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced a £30 million increase to the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant, raising total funding for 2025/26 to £160 million. This will help local authorities in England to invest in essential services for victims of domestic abuse. On 18 December, MHCLG published funding allocations for local authorities, available here Core Spending Power table: provisional local government finance settlement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK. Funding is all located at a local authority level. For 2024/25, Gloucestershire County Council, received £1,152,238 through the Safe Accommodation Grant, and in 2025/26, they have been allocated £1,435,985. It is for Gloucestershire County Council to allocate this funding based on local need, including in South Cotswolds. Future funding beyond April 2026 will be decided as part of Spending Review.

On 24 September 2024, my department announced that domestic abuse survivors are to be exempt from local connection requirements for social housing.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is also providing funding to the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to assist survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, including those in the South Cotswolds constituency. In 2024/25, the Gloucestershire PCC received £1,343,073 to support victims.

The MOJ, through Sections 13-14 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, will require local commissioners in England to collaborate when commissioning support services for domestic abuse victims. They must assess the needs of victims in their area and determine if those needs are being met by existing services. These assessments will inform a joint commissioning strategy. This duty aims to remove barriers to accessing support and ensure a more strategic approach to local commissioning.