News of more government funding pledged for domestic abuse victims has been welcomed by Essex County Council, which has vowed to "grow" the support services available locally.

The announcement by the Government yesterday (Wednesday, 3 March) comes amid a growth in reported domestic abuse in Maldon district during the pandemic, revealed in a report by Maldon's policing team to Maldon District Council back in October.

Councillors then heard how a 15.7 per cent increase in anti-social behaviour in the district in the first six months of the pandemic was partly caused by an increase in reported domestic abuse, with extra support largely provided by Essex Compass, a consortium of the county's domestic abuse services and groups.

Essex County Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Councillor Louise McKinlay, welcomed the Government's announcement of an additional £19 million to tackle domestic abuse across England and Wales.

Cllr McKinlay said: "Everyone has the right to live a life free of abuse, but sadly domestic abuse is still very common with around 2 million people in the UK experiencing it in some form.

"We welcome the announcement which will see more funding available nationally to support those experiencing abuse but also prevent further abuse through increased funding for perpetrator programmes.

"This is of course great news and I look forward to receiving more detail on our allocation so that we can continue to grow the excellent support services already available in Essex.

"Those experiencing domestic abuse should not feel alone or like they have nowhere to turn. If you need help, please reach out, there is support available."

You can find out more about the county's support services currently available by using the link here.