May pledges more help for domestic abuse victims

THERESA May has vowed to end the postcode lottery in support for those fleeing domestic abuse.

Thousands seeking refuge from abusive and violent relationships could be better protected by a new legal duty for councils to provide secure homes for them and their children.

The Prime Minister was today announcing the new policy to end the variation across the country and bolster protection in the Domestic Abuse Bill, which is being considered by MPs.

‘I’ve always vowed to leave no stone unturned in tackling domestic abuse,’ she said. ‘This abhorrent crime has no place in our country.

‘Today we are ending the postcode lottery abuse and controlling and manipulative non-physical abuse. It will establish a Domestic Abuse Commissioner and will also prohibit the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in family courts.

Sandra Horley, of the charity Refuge, welcomed the decision to place a legal duty on councils, which she said ‘could put these life-saving services on a secure financial footing for the first time’.