Newham Asks Residents to Help Shape a Safer Future for Women and Girls
No woman or girl in Newham should have to change her plans, alter her route home, or avoid public spaces out of fear. That’s the ambition behind a new consultation the council has just opened, and it’s one I want as many residents as possible to take part in.
The council’s community safety team has spent months developing priorities and actions alongside the Newham Community Safety Partnership, which brings together the council, the police, and other local agencies. Enhancing the safety of women and girls is a key priority for that partnership, and the draft plans now out for consultation focus on three broad themes: prevention, early intervention, and support. In plain terms, that means stopping harm before it happens, catching problems early, and backing survivors when they need it most.
What’s already underway
This consultation builds on work that’s already in motion. The council has committed to delivering education programmes in schools that promote healthy relationships, training businesses and professionals to recognise and respond to abuse, expanding community-based support through local partners, working with police, Public Health and voluntary organisations to hold perpetrators to account, and lighting up landmarks in orange as a visible show of solidarity.
That schools work already has real numbers behind it. More than 5,600 students across the borough took part in educational programmes on respect and consent during the 2024/25 school year, delivered in partnership with theatre and workshop providers tackling misogyny, healthy relationships, and online safety.
A new three-year Domestic Abuse Strategy is also due to be published in January 2026, running alongside the wider Community Safety Strategy.
Have your say
The council is now asking residents to review the draft priorities and complete a short survey before the plans are finalised. Officials say every response, whether a quick comment or a detailed suggestion, will help shape the final document, and that they’re committed to making sure the strategy reflects the real needs and experiences of Newham’s communities.
The survey is expected to take just a few minutes and is open to anyone who lives, works, or studies in the borough. If you have a view on what would make you, or the women and girls in your life, feel safer in our public spaces, this is the moment to put it on the record.
If you have been personally affected by domestic abuse or violence, support is available through local services including Newham HPAS, East London Rape Crisis, Ashiana, and Victim Support, among others working in partnership with the council.
You can read the draft priorities and complete the survey here: newhamco-create.co.uk/en/projects/vawg. This is exactly the kind of strategy that only works if it’s built on what residents actually tell the council, so please take the few minutes to respond.
