Vow to improve women’s safety

Female councillors across Bath and North East Somerset Council have expressed their heartfelt sympathies to the family of Sarah Everard.

They have pledged to work together for greater safety for women.

Sarah Everard, inset, disappeared in Clapham on March 3 while she walked home. The marketing executive’s family paid tribute to a “wonderful daughter and sister”.

Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with the kidnap and murder of Ms Everard and is likely to stand trial in October.

In response, a meeting of 20 women councillors convened by council leader, Councillor Dine Romero, heard the killing of Ms Everard had brought the issue of women’s safety, and behaviour towards women, to the forefront.

Councillor Romero said: “Women councillors across Bath and North East Somerset Council were invited to a meeting in light of the shocking circumstances of Sarah Everard’s death. Our heartfelt thoughts are with Sarah’s family. Sarah’s death has brought women’s safety and behaviour towards women to the forefront. We stand together against behaviour and actions that might cause women to have to modify our own activities in order to feel safe.”

She added: “Women shouldn’t feel they’re to blame if they’re attacked or receive unwanted and inappropriate attention. Women should be able to report harassment and be taken seriously. As women carrying out public duties many of us have experienced harassment in our roles. We stand together against this behaviour and will report incidences of verbal abuse and intimidation to the police. And we’ll be urgently looking at the action the council can take to protect women locally and what more the council can do so that everyone understands the impact of what they say, and what they do, can have on women.”