A timeline of work
Timeline of work 2021
May 2021
Tracy Brabin is elected as the Mayor of West Yorkshire with a key pledge to put the safety of women and girls at the heart of her policing plan.
July 2021
Over £2m allocated to the Mayoral Combined Authority to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisers and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers. It saw the creation of over 25 full time equivalent roles across West Yorkshire, with a commitment from the Ministry of Justice until 2023. They will work to provide tailored and specialist assistance for those who have experienced domestic abuse and sexual violence. Domestic abuse and sexual violence support services in the county also receiving just over £350,000 of additional funding to help increase their capacity and respond to victim’s needs - read the news article
August 2021
Mayor of West Yorkshire secures £390,000 to tackle domestic abuse - read the news article
September 2021
#TellTracy launches, a large scale consultation to inform the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan - read the news article
Over a 130 delegates join an online roundtable event to discuss the safety of women and girls across the county - read the news article
October 2021
The Mayor and Community Safety Partners are successful in a bid to the Safer Streets Fund for £655,000. The funding went to two ambitious and wide-reaching projects. The first, improving the safety and use of parks by women and girls, and a second initiative to develop a higher/further education package to support womens’ safety and generate behaviour change in men - read the news article
The Mayor and West Yorkshire Police launch a joint campaign on highlighting the offence of stalking and encourage victims to come forward to the police - read the news article
November 2021
Tackling Domestic Abuse Together - Annual Third Sector Conference Takes Place - read the news article
Mayor and Community Safety Partners secure £215,000 from the Safety of Women at Night Fund. Projects include the introduction of a bus safety reporting tool, active upstander training for night-time economy staff, and a pan-West Yorkshire Ask for Angela’ campaign - read the news article
December 2021
Over 100 security staff in bars and clubs across the county are to be equipped with an innovative forensic spray, designed to increase nightlife safety - read the news article
West Yorkshire Police starts recording instances of misogyny. - read the news article
Timeline of work 2022
February 2022
West Yorkshire joins national campaign raising awareness of Sexual Assault Referral Centres - read the news article
March 2022
Mayor launches her first Police and Crime Plan. The Safety of Women and Girls is a cross cutting theme and at the heart of the document as pledged - read the news article
Victims of crime further supported with the £3.3million, specifically aimed at bolstering local support services. The cash, allocated from the Ministry of Justice funding enabled the Mayor to provide, or commission dedicated emotional and practical support services for victims of crime to help them cope. The money has been allocated to 22 different service providers, including 15 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, five local authorities and two hospital trusts - read the news article
The Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund allocates over £208,000 to 39 groups many of which are working to improve the safety of women and girls - read the news article
April 2022
Mayor supports Stalking Awareness Week 2022.
May 2022
The Mayor hosts an event to co-design the West Yorkshire Safety of Women and Girls Strategy - read the news article
Mayor launches grant round 2 of her Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund with £270,000 in grants available. Those applying for funding need to address one of the cross-cutting themes in the Police and Crime Plan, of which the safety of women and girls is one.
July 2022
Announcement that victims’ support services across West Yorkshire are set to receive nearly £14m in a cash boost aimed at supporting the region’s most vulnerable. The funding will secure services for the next three years, and will pay for over 70 different services and support roles for victims and witnesses across West Yorkshire including 52 Independent Sexual Violence/Domestic Violence Advisers (ISVA/IDVA). A new West Yorkshire wide service will also be established to specifically support victims of Domestic Abuse related Stalking - read the news article
The Mayor and Community Safety Partners are successful in a bid to the Safer Streets Fund. £717,953.61 will be directed into a number of projects to support the safety of women and girls across the night-time economy in West Yorkshire. A portion of the money will also enable the development of a male targeted behaviour change campaign designed to address attitudes and approaches towards women - read the news article
August 2022
Over £500,000 secured to support the victims and survivors of domestic abuse and to reduce reoffending across West Yorkshire - read the news article
September 2022
Mayor’s Women and Girls Strategy builds momentum. A further co-design event took place in Wakefield with 60 attendees from charities, community safety organisations, local authorities, and the police. The purpose of this event was to discuss West Yorkshire’s upcoming Safety of Women and Girls Strategy which is set to launch later this year - read the news article
September 2022
Mayor supports Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Week of Action raising awareness of the help for victims and work to tackle offending. A woman from Calderdale also bravely shared her personal experiences following her partner being convicted of assaulting her and sentenced at Crown Court. She hopes her account, which remains anonymous to protect her identity, will encourage others to come forward and help them to understand the processes behind the scenes - read the news article
October 2022
The Mayor awarded over £320,000 to community projects that are making the region safer. 61 innovative projects, run by community groups, charities, and partners, received grants of up to £6000. Each of these projects address at least one of the cross-cutting themes or priorities within the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan, including keeping women and girls safe, diversity, equality, and inclusion, and early intervention and prevention - read the news article
November 2022
Mayor's Safety of Women and Girls Strategy officially launched. The strategy reveals the shocking experiences and challenges facing women and girls, including a recent survey that found 97% believe ‘being a woman’ affects their personal safety, and outlines a plan to tackle this - read the news article
Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Support 16 days of action against domestic abuse - read the news article
December 2022
During the 16 Days of Action Against Domestic Abuse, organisations from across West Yorkshire have rallied together to improve the support available for victims of stalking - read the news article
School pupils in West Yorkshire are being empowered to speak up against gender-based violence thanks to funding from the Mayor. Tender Education and Arts, a charity working to prevent domestic and sexual abuse, received a near £6000 from the Mayor's Safer Communities Fund. The money is now being used to deliver an innovative arts-based scheme which is giving secondary school pupils the tools to build healthy, equal relationships and to recognise the signs of domestic and sexual abuse - read the news article
Timeline of work 2023
February 2023
Over half a million pounds seized from criminals to benefit West Yorkshire communities, including projects to increase the safety of women and girls - read the news article
More on the safety of women and girls
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If you need help now
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Safety of Women and Girls Strategy
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VRU focus - safety of women and girls
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Useful information and links