Section: Care in the Community

Too Many Councils Fail Female Victims of Violence

The Equality and Human Rights Commission announced that it will target over 100 local authorities with the threat of legal action over their failure to provide specialised services for women who have experienced violence.

The threat of legal action comes as a new report, published by the Commission reveals a major funding gap for services that help women escape violence and abuse. The study - Map of Gaps 2 - shows:

Over 100 (one in four) local authorities in Britain have no specialised support services at all.
Nearly a quarter of rape crisis centres surveyed in England and Wales feared closure or cuts in services this financial year because of lack of funding. Almost two-fifths fear closure or service cuts in 2009/2010.
Provision is the best in Glasgow because women's safety has been prioritised, while the best provision in England is in Bradford.
The worst provision is in the East of England and South East.
Ethnic minority women are especially poorly served: just one in ten local authorities have a specialised service that is uniquely suited to deal with women facing particular circumstances, such as forced marriage.
Local authorities and other public bodies are required by law to promote gender equality, and that duty requires them to take into account men and women's different needs. Because violence against women is such a major cause of women's inequality, public bodies should ensure adequate support for women in such circumstances.

Within a month, the Commission will write to each Local Authority where the evidence suggests they are not providing services, and ask them to explain the situation. The Commission will take further action against those who fail to supply a satisfactory response.

Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission, said:

"In many parts of the country, services for women who have experienced violence are chronically under-funded or simply do not exist. Women shouldn't be subjected to this postcode lottery.
"This is a call to action for everybody who cares about this issue, and a firm reminder for those in local and national government with the power to make a difference. Urgent action is needed to provide funding and support to ensure that all women can get help whenever they need it - wherever they live.
"I hope that the bleak statistics in this report, contrasted with the inspiring stories from parts of the country that serve as a beacon, will serve as a wake-up call and inspire others to take action. But for those councils who continue to ignore the dire need to shore up services and plug the gaps, we also have a stark reminder: the Commission is ready and willing to use its enforcement powers."

New Regulations

Source: Office of Public Sector Information

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 (Scheme of Assistance) Regulations 2008 SI 406

Section 73(1)(b) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 requires that a local authority provide assistance for the purpose of adapting a house for a disabled person or reinstating such adaptations. Various types of assistance are listed in section 71(3).

Regulation 3 provides that such assistance must be by way of a grant where the adaptations are essential to the disabled person's needs and the work is structural or involves permanent changes to the house, except in specific cases set out in regulation 3(3).

Where the adaptations are essential to the needs of the disabled person, but do not qualify for mandatory assistance by grant, the assistance provided must include advice and information to help the applicant to fund the work.

Regulation 4 provides that where a grant is mandatory, either because it is for the works described in regulation 3 or it is for the purpose of providing standard amenities as described in section 73 of the Act, the specified percentage of the approved expense, as defined in section 76, is 80 per cent.

If the applicant for the grant, or some connected person as listed in section 77(2)(a)(ii) to (iv), is in receipt of any of the benefits listed in Regulation 4(3), the specified percentage of the approved expense is 100 per cent.

Applicants for any grant or subsidised loan may be required to pay a contribution towards the approved expense. In regulation 5 the Scottish Ministers delegate the assessment of the applicant's contribution to local authorities.

Section: Care in the Community

Too Many Councils Fail Female Victims of Violence

New Regulations

Legal Update

Reporting on Nov 2008-Jan 2009

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