Agenda item

9.16pm – Councillor Rebecca Harvey moved, seconded by Councillor Nikos Souslous, the special motion in their names.

“The Council notes that in July 2024 the National Police Chiefs Council reported that there is an epidemic of violence against women and girls, with nearly 3,000 crimes reported every day in what they termed a “national emergency”. This council welcomes the new Labour Government’s commitment to tackle this.

The Council takes the safety of women and girls extremely seriously and is investing in services to support women and girls across our borough including Advance, the Angelou Partnership and Refuge.

The Council notes that following a public consultation with overwhelming support, in July 2024 the borough introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), making street sexual harassment an offence. The Council is pleased to note that the PSPO has already been used to fine those who have harassed women and girls who live, work and visit our borough.

The Council thanks officers who are delivering the No More Sexual Harassment campaign with valued partners, including the youth council, schools, football clubs, businesses, community groups and residents.

The Council welcomes the work of the borough’s public protection teams to tackle violence against women and girls, including:

• The 72-strong Law Enforcement Officers, who have undertaken specialist training to support victims and hold perpetrators to account;
• The CCTV network with over 2,000+ CCTV cameras collecting evidence used to prosecute offenders;
• The Gangs, Violence & Exploitation Unit; and
• The Community Safety, Antisocial Behaviour and Trading Standards teams.

The Council is proud of the work being done to make the borough’s streets safer. It has invested millions of pounds in community safety and works closely with partners, including the police, probation and prison services, and the violence reduction unit.

The Council calls on all members to support this work to make Hammersmith and Fulham a stronger, safer and kinder borough.”

Speeches on the motion were made by Councillors Rebecca Harvey, Jacolyn Daly and Stephen Cowan (for the Administration) – and Councillors Andrew Dinsmore and Aliya Afzal-Khan (for the Opposition).

Councillor Harvey then made a speech winding up the debate before the motion was put to the vote:

FOR                        UNANIMOUS

AGAINST                0

NOT VOTING         0

The motion was declared CARRIED.

9.40pm – RESOLVED

The Council notes that in July 2024 the National Police Chiefs Council reported that there is an epidemic of violence against women and girls, with nearly 3,000 crimes reported every day in what they termed a “national emergency”. This council welcomes the new Labour Government’s commitment to tackle this.

The Council takes the safety of women and girls extremely seriously and is investing in services to support women and girls across our borough including Advance, the Angelou Partnership and Refuge.

The Council notes that following a public consultation with overwhelming support, in July 2024 the borough introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), making street sexual harassment an offence. The Council is pleased to note that the PSPO has already been used to fine those who have harassed women and girls who live, work and visit our borough.

The Council thanks officers who are delivering the No More Sexual Harassment campaign with valued partners, including the youth council, schools, football clubs, businesses, community groups and residents.

The Council welcomes the work of the borough’s public protection teams to tackle violence against women and girls, including:

• The 72-strong Law Enforcement Officers, who have undertaken specialist training to support victims and hold perpetrators to account;
• The CCTV network with over 2,000+ CCTV cameras collecting evidence used to prosecute offenders;
• The Gangs, Violence & Exploitation Unit; and
• The Community Safety, Antisocial Behaviour and Trading Standards teams.

The Council is proud of the work being done to make the borough’s streets safer. It has invested millions of pounds in community safety and works closely with partners, including the police, probation and prison services, and the violence reduction unit.

The Council calls on all members to support this work to make Hammersmith and Fulham a stronger, safer and kinder borough.