Our response to the new draft Domestic Abuse Bill

Following today’s publication by the Government of the Domestic Abuse Bill, Paul Streets OBE, Chief Executive at Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, said:

“Domestic abuse causes untold misery for millions of people each year, destroying families and devastating lives across the UK. We welcome today’s publication of the Government’s draft Domestic Abuse Bill and urge the government to act fast to get this on the statute book as quickly as possible.

“We know from the 100 charities we fund that are supporting people affected by domestic abuse, that economic abuse can have a huge impact on their lives. It’s right that economic abuse is now recognised as a form of domestic abuse and we’re continuing to work with our colleagues at Lloyds Banking Group and the charities we fund to help ensure people get the support they need outside of the Bill.

“Any new laws must be backed up with action and Government must now do more to ensure the right resources are available at the right time for those whose lives are left devastated by domestic abuse. Too often those charities on the front line, like the 100 specialist domestic abuse services we fund, are being held back by funding cuts, poor commissioning practices and the struggle to meet the rising need for support.

“With the Government’s own research indicating that domestic abuse costs the country an astonishing £66bn a year - more than drug and alcohol abuse, smoking and obesity combined - it is in all our interests that we now spend what is needed to support victims and challenge perpetrators at a local and national level. The Government must now step up and ensure these resources are made available without delay to help reach the many people whose lives are blighted by domestic abuse every day.”

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is committed to partnering with charities helping people overcome domestic abuse, having invested over £4m since 2015 in helping the domestic abuse sector develop and improve. This includes acting as the leading charitable funder of Drive, a pilot approach to change the behaviour of domestic abuse perpetrators which has been developed in partnership with Respect, SafeLives and Social Finance; and through its Transform programme, designed to influence change in the domestic abuse sector.