An extra £19m has been promised for domestic violence programmes - here's what it will be spent on

As part of the Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that £19 million will go towards domestic violence programmes (Photo: Shutterstock)As part of the Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that £19 million will go towards domestic violence programmes (Photo: Shutterstock)
As part of the Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that £19 million will go towards domestic violence programmes (Photo: Shutterstock)

Rishi Sunak has announced an extra £19 million for domestic violence programmes, as part of the 2021 Budget.

The Chancellor unveiled the UK government’s spending plan, which had a particular focus on rebuilding the economy in the wake of the Covid pandemic and helping both individuals and businesses in the coming months.

Extra funding for domestic violence programmes

As part of the Budget, Mr Sunak announced that £19 million will go towards domestic violence programmes.

The Chancellor told the Commons that “one of the hidden tragedies lockdown has been the increase in domestic abuse.”

Mr Sunak said that he is therefore giving an extra £19 million - on top of the £125 million announced at the spending review - for domestic violence programmes.

The Chancellor told MPs that this is “to reduce the risk of reoffending, and to pilot a network of ‘respite rooms’ to provide specialist support for vulnerable homeless women.”

What else did Rishi Sunak announce in the Budget?

The Chancellor also announced the extension of the furlough scheme, grants for the self-employed and a new restart grant to help businesses reopen, alongside a whole host of other funding allocations.

Mr Sunak also announced funding for those in the armed forces community.

He said: “To recognise the sacrifices made by so many women and men in the armed forces community, I’m providing an additional £10m to support veterans with mental health needs.”

Alongside this, Mr Sunak addressed that funding to support survivors of the Thalidomide scandal is due to run out in 2023.

In regards to this, he said: “They deserve better than to have constant uncertainty about the future costs of their care.

“So not only will I extend this funding with an initial down payment of around £40 million, I am today announcing a lifetime commitment, guaranteeing funding forever.”

The Chancellor also announced the £20 weekly increase for Universal Credit will continue for a further six months, and that the minimum wage will increase to £8.91 an hour from April this year.

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