Here is the answer I received today.
Dear Helen,
Kingston council was the lead council who applied for the Safer Streets funding on behalf of Kingston, Richmond, Merton and Wandsworth boroughs. A total of £183,000 was received to carry out work across the 4 boroughs. The press release indicates that some boroughs chose to use funding towards CCTV and street lighting however the bid that we submitted was for funding to deliver a range of preventative interventions and included:
Campaigns to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls. As part of our local Safer Streets work, we have also launched a campaign to offer support to local businesses (including night time economy venues) to work with us around making their venues safer for women and girls. More information on this can be found here. Over 300 night time economy venue staff have been trained.
Tackling VAWG with Faith Based Communities which has included building relationships with various faith communities through awareness raising briefings around domestic abuse and VAWG. Over 15 sessions have been carried out over the course of a year including a round table conference with faith leaders as well as a strategy development session. This has enabled an increased awareness around tackling VAWG and of our local support services
Bystander training for members of the community was rolled out with residents, council staff and members of our youth council benefiting from bespoke sessions. We also have a commitment to developing a local bystander training programme which is due to be rolled out in 2024.
Trauma-informed training for first response police officers supporting victims of VAWG. This training was developed with feedback from our local survivors forum. The training has been completed and an evaluation will be completed. Just under 250 police officers have been trained in South West London.
The Kingston Safe Zone has been established outside the train station offering support to those who may become vulnerable while accessing the night time economy. For more information on the impact you can contact Street Pastors at [email protected].
A night safety audit was carried out for Kingston which will feed into the Night Time Economy Strategy (for which the consultation survey is currently live).
Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a key priority area for the Safer Kingston Partnership. The council is doing a great deal of work around the safety of women and girls in public spaces. The Safer Streets funding has enabled a coordinated response to continue keeping Kingston safe.
Regards,
Violence and Vulnerabilities Manager - Safer Kingston Partnership
Healthy and Safe Communities
Today I wrote to Kingston Council on a campaign close to my heart as a mother of two girls in their twenties for the safety of women and girls, especially coming home late at night from Kingston Town Centre ..
Dear
I am writing on behalf of Kingston and Surbiton Residents to ask about how the £183,800 received from the Home Office last year for Safer Streets in Kingston has been spent and what the impact of this spending has been.
The press release suggests that this money was allocated for street lighting and CCTV - I am keen to understand if this money was spent in that way and the impact that it has had.
I recently received a consultation link asking about our night time economy and Christmas experience. I look forward to hearing the results of this consultation.
I have many constituents contacting me about safety in the Kingston town centre and many have referred to the problem of begging and homelessness and rough sleeping as well as the cleanliness. Many of our residents say that they prefer to shop in Epsom or Guildford which is very disappointing and a clear signpost that more needs to be done to enhance the feeling of safety.
I recently met with Community Housing Head and also the amazing charity KCAH to discuss rough sleeping and homelessness and I do understand how incredibly complex this problem is. I would be grateful for your thoughts on this from the point of view of women and girls safety.
I am aware of the investment of a safe space at Kingston station on weekend nights to offer young women a chance to charge their phone and book an uber which I think is a wonderful initiative and I would like to know more about the impact and satisfaction around this. I think this is run by volunteers?
The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames received £183,300 from the Safer Streets Fund to roll out extra CCTV and streetlighting in their communities (Home Office, News Story, 29 July 2022, link).
I look forward to your answers to my questions which have been asked on behalf of residents.
Many thanks
Helen Edward | Parliamentary Candidate Kingston & Surbiton
3 Bridle Cl, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2JW
The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames received £183,300 from the Safer Streets Fund to roll out extra CCTV and streetlighting in their communities (Home Office, News Story, 29 July 2022, link).
