CENTRAL DEVON MP Mel Stride has welcomed the Government’s decision to give Devon County Council an extra £1.4 million to provide vital support services for domestic abuse victims.

Smaller additional grants of just over £30,000 will go directly to district and borough councils to complement this support.

In total, £125 million will be awarded to councils across England to make sure that safe accommodation spaces, such as refuges and shelters, can provide victims with vital support services, including healthcare, social workers and benefits.

Interpreters, immigration advice, drug or alcohol support and other specialist services will also be funded and made available so that anyone who flees their home gets the help they need.

The Government is also consulting on current housing rules, with the aim of removing Local Connection Tests for abuse victims when applying for social housing. This would help victims escape the community in which their abuser lives.

Mr Stride said: ’The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was a landmark piece of legislation that widened the legal definition of domestic abuse to include emotional, controlling or economic abuse, strengthened victims’ rights, and placed a duty on local authorities to provide greater local support to domestic abuse victims and their families.

’It is only right that councils are given more funding to provide these services and help more people, in extraordinary difficult circumstances, rebuild their lives.’

Safeguarding Minister Rachel Maclean said: ’The extra support provided today will provide a vital lifeline for victims as they try and rebuild their lives positively while feeling supported and protected.’