North East Lincolnshire Council will write to the Government urging sentence guidelines are tightened and early release criteria revised for domestic abuse offenders.
The move concerns domestic abuse crimes placed under more general categories such as assault, allowing for potential early release. Councillors committed at the latest full council meeting to unwavering support to end violence against women and girls (VAWG).
A range of measures were passed unanimously, and Conservative Cllr Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, confirmed the council has applied to become White Ribbon accredited. This recognises ongoing and sustained commitment to preventing male violence against women by an organisation.
The VAWG debate was prompted by Labour Cllrs Sophia Farren and Matt Patrick. They wanted the council to commit to unwavering support to end VAWG, and to welcome and congratulate the newly formed North East Lincolnshire Reclaim the Night campaign group, organised by Cllrs Farren and Emma Clough. It held a march in Grimsby on December 9.
‘Not a new issue’
Introducing the original proposal, Cllr Farren said: “This is not a new issue. In my lifetime, there has always been an undercurrent of violence against women and girls.”
She also reflected on the difficulties women’s campaigners in 1970 had in setting up a new women’s refuge in Grimsby. Male councillors at the time showed limited support, with tight finances part of the reasoning, and formal petitioning to be able to use identified empty properties failed. Campaigners resorted to squatter’s rights to set up a refuge before later getting then-council support and a property selected.
There are a range of domestic abuse services available in North and North East Lincolnshire. These include:
Women’s Aid NEL (supporting men and women) 01472 575757 or email support@womensaidnel.org.
North Lincolnshire Women’s Refuge – 01724 289299.
The Blue Door Domestic and Sexual Abuse Service – 0800 197 4787 or info@thebluedoor.org.
North East Lincolnshire – For children and families safeguarding concerns, contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub 01472 326292 Option 2 or report concerns online HERE For adult safeguarding advice and concerns, contact the Single Point of Access (SPA) on 01472 256 256.
To access North Lincolnshire Council’s domestic abuse support page, click here.
For info about how to request information under Clare’s Law to Humberside Police, click here.
For info provided by the Office of the Police and Crime and Commissioner for Humberside about wider victim support schemes, click here.
“Let us, Mr Mayor and members, show that 54 years on, we have the tenacity to support our residents despite our very similar financial situation.” Cllr Farren added of the new campaign group she has co-founded: “Reclaim the Night has just launched. Our aim is to support the great work that is happening in our town by others.” Since its march, it already had another event in the planning.
Cllr Shepherd said North East Lincolnshire’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP) had set action on VAWG as a priority in September. He announced the council has applied for White Ribbon accreditation.
“Accreditation, including development of an action plan, will enable the council to consider cultural change within its systems, policies, training and development.” On recent initiatives locally, he highlighted Ask for Angela promotion, Safer Street ambassador patrols on weekend nights, and over 250 personal safety keyrings distributed within the town centre.
Read More: Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Grimsby with our free newsletter
Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe brought in an amendment that proposed the letter to government on domestic abuse offenders. It also endorsed White Ribbon accreditation for the council and the selection of a White Ribbon champion and ambassador each to lead local efforts.
“This would ensure a long-term dedication as a council to ending violence against women and girls,” she said of the White Ribbon champion and ambassador proposal. Cllr Shepherd expressed strong support. “In particular, I will take great pleasure in writing to the Secretary of Justice to ensure that we get out our firm message across from this chamber that we are all of us in support of this VAWG initiative.”
Cllr Aisthorpe has said since the meeting: “An average of 15 women and girls in North East Lincolnshire report being victims of violence every single day, while many more suffer in silence. This is not just a statistic – it’s a call to action that cannot be ignored. Securing unanimous cross party support for White Ribbon accreditation sends a powerful, united message that violence in any form will not be tolerated, and we are committed to driving meaningful change.”
Cllr Aisthorpe welcomed the Reclaim the Night walk and commended the volunteers who organised and participated. But she expressed disappointment councillors were not all emailed about it, and it clashed with a mandatory councillors’ training session organised by the Children’s Commissioner. Part of her full amendment included inclusivity on future Reclaim the Night events, but was declared invalid as an overreach of actual council power.
Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Cllr Farren expressed surprise with the remarks made. She said she had been unsure as to emailing all councillors. The motion was “to launch it for everybody to get involved, after the march”.
VAWG has increasingly featured on the local political agenda in recent months. There was a 26 per cent increase in recorded VAWG in North East Lincolnshire in 2023/24. Melanie Onn MP hosted a roundtable discussion of partners on the issue at Grimsby’s Centre4 in November.