Women to advise mayor how to make London safer

The opinions of women and girls will be sought on how to improve the safety of public spaces across London as part of a scheme aimed at tackling violence and misogyny.

Under the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan's "first-ever new fund", community research teams will gather views and help to audit public places to make them safer, with potential suggestions likely to include improved CCTV and better lighting.

Local authorities across London will be able to apply for a share of £15.6m, which is part of a wider investment of more than £37m.

The plans have been welcomed by London's victims' commissioner, Andrea Simon and women's charity Solace Women's Aid.

The project will build on a trial in 2024 where the mayor's office and Transport for London (TfL) worked with women and girls across five boroughs to better understand their safety concerns and how their experiences could influence better design in the future.

The total funding of £37m also includes a previously announced £1m package of measures to support boys and young men at risk of being influenced by misogynists online.

The campaign "targets young men and boys to role-model positive attitudes and promote positive opportunities and behaviours", with investment in educational programmes to promote respect and equality

Meanwhile, £6m will go towards tackling a rise in technology-enabled abuse, involving mobile phones, social media and other devices.

Another £6m will enable thousands of Vawg victims and survivors to access legal advice, counselling and other support services, while £2.4m will support those affected by child sexual exploitation (CSE) and grooming gangs.

Khan said he wanted to make "every woman and girl in London safer – and feel safer – in our city".

"That's why I have launched a new strategy to accelerate our efforts and adapt to the changing threats that women face online, at home and on our streets.

"This includes a first-ever new fund that will see us work with women and girls to help transform public spaces across our capital.

"By giving a voice to women and girls who know their local areas best, we can work with local authorities to make these spaces safer and more welcoming at all times of day."

London's Victims Commissioner, Andrea Simon, said: "London needs this holistic and ambitious vision for tackling violence against women and girls (Vawg), and I am pleased that the strategy acknowledges how important specialist support is for victims' recovery, as well as having a focus on preventing the spread of harmful misogynistic attitudes and responding to the growing scale of technology-facilitated abuse."

Nahar Choudhury, chief executive of Solace Women's Aid, said the strategy "rightly recognises that supporting survivors means addressing the wide range of factors contributing to violence against women and girls".

She added: "We're especially heartened to see dedicated investment in work to challenge the manosphere and engage boys and young men as part of the solution, as well as specialist services supporting girls and young women."

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