London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 20, 2026

Government pledges £76m for abuse victims

The government has pledged to spend £76m to support vulnerable people who are "trapped in a nightmare" at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the new funding would help vulnerable children and victims of domestic violence and modern slavery.

He also announced the launch of a taskforce which will aim to support rough sleepers after the lockdown.

More than 105,000 coronavirus tests were provided on Friday.

The total number of reported coronavirus-related deaths in the UK now stands at 28,131 - an increase of 621 on Friday's figure.

The funding package will help community-based services that work with victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern slavery, as well as vulnerable children, in England and Wales.

This includes the recruitment of additional counsellors for victims of sexual violence.

It will also go towards the provision of safe accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse and their children, and further support for vulnerable children, in England.

There has been a "surge" in violence in the weeks since the lockdown was introduced, a report by MPs said.

It found there has been a rise in killings, while the number of calls to the National Domestic Abuse helpline run by Refuge are up 50% after three weeks.

Speaking during the government's daily coronavirus briefing, Mr Jenrick said: "For some in our society these [lockdown] measures involve sacrifices that none of us would wish anyone to bear."

He stressed that victims will not be breaking the law if they need to seek help outside the home during lockdown.

The domestic abuse charity Refuge said it was "pleased" with the government's announcement.

Chief executive Sandra Horley said the previous housing requirements "risked women having to make an unthinkable decision - to stay with an abusive partner or risk homelessness".

She added that the package "will help to plug some of the gaps left by a decade of austerity cuts".

Sally Field, chairwoman of Woman's Trust, said she welcomed the announcement "somewhat cautiously" because it is not clear how charities will access the funds.

Women were being turned away from refuges even before the lockdown, she added, and the sector needs "long-term sustainable funding" in order to provide safe accommodation.

She added that she expects an "exponential increase in calls for help" after lockdown because victims are unable to reach out for help while they are at home.

Mr Jenrick also said that 90% of rough sleepers known to councils have been offered accommodation and that the government is "determined that as few people as possible return to life on the streets" after the outbreak.

Dame Louise Casey, who is already leading a review of rough sleeping, is to oversee an effort to ensure rough sleepers have safe accommodation while self-isolating, and to work with councils on the provision of long-term support.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, said he was "delighted" to see ministers "seize the opportunity" to make sure those helped during the pandemic do not return to rough sleeping.

"We look forward to working closely with the task force to provide as many people as possible with a home of their own," he said.


'Appalling abuse'

Earlier, Harry Potter author JK Rowling announced she is donating £500,000 to Crisis and £500,000 to Refuge, which supports victims of domestic abuse.

The £76m funding pledge comes days after MPs debated the Domestic Abuse Bill in Parliament.

The bill brings in new protections for victims and proposes the first government definition of domestic abuse in England and Wales, including financial abuse and controlling and manipulative non-physical behaviour.

On Tuesday, the government announced it would spend £3.1 million on services supporting children who witness "appalling abuse" at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

But Labour said this fell "woefully short" of what was needed and proposed amendments to the bill that would see 10% of the £750 million charity support package announced last month ring-fenced in a fast-track fund for domestic abuse charities.

MPs also said the bill must do more to ensure that there is adequate accommodation for victims who flee their homes. Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott called on the government to house them in vacant hotel rooms during the lockdown until decent alternatives could be found.

During Saturday's briefing, Mr Jenrick said the government will "work with refuges to make this option available to them" where necessary.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
UK Reaffirms Military Support for Ukraine Despite Russian Hybrid Warfare Threats
UK Technology Sector Expands Nearly 8 Percent as Digital Industry Outpaces Wider Economy
UK Drought Threatens Harvests Across England and Wales as Food Inflation Risks Persist
UK Government Pledges 442 Million Pounds to End Rough Sleeping by Christmas
UK Government Signals Willingness to Reconsider Digital Services Tax Amid US Tariff Threats
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9 Percent as Energy Costs Threaten Economic Recovery
NHS Hospitals Cancel Surgeries as Extreme Heat Pushes Ward Temperatures Above 40 Degrees Celsius
UK Heatwave Forces Emergency Measures as Wildfire Risk, Hospital Disruption and Drought Intensify
A Sleepless Night on Wall Street: Nasdaq to Begin Nearly Round-the-Clock Trading
"The First in the World": 69-Year-Old Protested Artificial Intelligence—and Went to Jail
Ukraine's Ousted Defence Minister Calls for Wartime Presidential Election
UK Marks Ten Years of Night Tube as London Weekend Usage Exceeds Eighty-One Thousand Journeys a Night
Met Office Issues Thunderstorm Warnings Across Northern Ireland Over Flash-Flood Risk
Frasers Group Raises Stake in Hugo Boss to Nearly Forty-Eight Percent
Scottish Clyde Marine Pilots Prepare for Strike That Could Disrupt Glasgow and Greenock Shipping
Twenty Passengers Injured After Southern Train Derails Near Lewes in East Sussex
Government Rules Out High-Speed Rail Revival Between West Midlands and Northern England
West Midlands Bus Network Returns to Public Ownership in Twenty-Four Million Pound Deal
UK Competition Watchdog Targets Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Drip Pricing
Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Resigns After Dispute Over Causeway Hospital Surgery Closure
UK Long-Term Government Bond Yields Rise to Five Point Eight Five Percent as Borrowing Costs Surge
UK Government Overhauls Planning Rules to Push Housing Development Near Major Transport Hubs
UK Health and Economic Pressures Highlight Wider Strain on Households and Public Finances
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Reaffirms Full Support for Ukraine Amid Russian Warnings
Sainsbury’s Suspends Live Facial Recognition at London Store After Customer Misidentified
Artists Urge UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Reject New North Sea Oil and Gas Licensing
UK Government Awards Four Hundred and Fifty-Six Million Pound Civil Service Training Contract to EY and KPMG
×