ADD2762 Approval for additional spend on Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation programme 2025-26

1.1.    Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (the 2021 Act) came into force on 1 October 2021. It confers a statutory duty on Tier 1 authorities (in London, the GLA) to support survivors of domestic abuse, and their children, in safe accommodation. The Domestic Abuse Support (Local Authority Strategies and Annual Reports) Regulations 2021 (the 2021 Regulations) also came into force on 1 October 2021. 
1.2.    The key functions required of Tier 1 authorities – as outlined in the 2021 Act, the 2021 Regulations and statutory guidance – include preparing, publishing and keeping under review a strategy for accommodation-based support for survivors of domestic abuse, and their children. They also require Tier 1 authorities to effect the strategy in carrying out their functions through commissioning and decommissioning decisions.
1.3.    Mayoral Decision (MD) 2788 and MD2842 gave Mayoral approval to receive £20,688,230 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and to spend this funding (to cover administration and support), for 2021-22. After this, the following MDs were also approved: 
•    MD2967 gave Mayoral approval to receive, and spend, £20,745,496 of MHCLG funding for 2022-23
•    MD3082 gave Mayoral approval to receive, and spend: 
o    £21,160,496 for 2023-24
o    £21,559,735 for 2024-25
•    MD3321 gave Mayoral approval to receive, and spend, £26,868,976 for 2025-26. 
1.4.    Via these MDs, the Mayor also approved the GLA entering a shared-services arrangement with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). Through this arrangement, MOPAC supports the GLA to undertake the activities associated with the new duty.
1.5.    Under the duty, the Mayor funds 31 continuation grants; these are separate to his commissioned Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation (DASA) services. These are legacy grants, which were transferred to the GLA from MHCLG when the Domestic Abuse Part 4 Duty came to the GLA in 2021. The grants cover a mix of projects, including direct victims’ services; advocacy; refuge accommodation; and housing-related support to access accommodation and longer-term housing. The GLA has continued to fund these projects to support stability in the sector. 
1.6.    From April 2022 to March 2024, the continuation grants were extended annually at a total value of £16,585,032. However, the DASA landscape has changed since 2017; it was recognised that these services must be replaced to respond to these changes. For example, these grants were originally awarded by MHCLG as early as 2017, and had not had an inflationary uplift since then, despite the cost-of-living crisis. 
1.7.    Considering this, MD3321 secured approval to extend all continuation grants for one year into 2025-26, providing an inflationary uplift of 3.2 per cent to reflect changing demand and costs. The MD approved a spend of £6,416,268 (of which the inflationary uplift is £352,929.78). 
1.8.    The continuation grant spend figure in MD3321 was a provisional figure, which was evidenced by information the GLA and MOPAC held, at the time, about the grant-funded services. 
1.9.    Since MD3321 was published, the GLA’s and MOPAC’s understanding of the total spend envelope needed to support continuation grants has changed. From January 2025 to March 2025, grantees went through an expression of interest process to progress their grant extensions. This process identified that the updated costs of running the 31 continuation grant services for an additional year was higher than the provisional figure in MD3321.
1.10.  The updated total costs in 2025-26 is £6,476,041. This is an increase of £59,773. The GLA will cover the spend on the continuation grants for 2025-26, including the proposed uplift of £59,773, from the annual MHCLG allocation of £26,868,976. 
1.11.  The continuation grants spend figure of £6,416,268 that was approved in MD3321 was provisional. Given that continuation grantees have now been through a robust expression of interest process, during which they re-examined their total service costs, we are confident that a spend figure of £6,476,041 is sufficient to support the grants for 2025-26. We do not expect any further uplift requests on the continuation grants within this financial year. 
1.12.  The GLA as entered contracts with continuation grantees up to the spend figure which was allowed within MD3321, to support service continuity. 
 

All procurements and grants in the DASA programme will implement policies and proposals in London’s DASA Strategy (2025-28). All grant funding will align with those policies and proposals, whose objectives include:
•    accessible and inclusive services that meet the diverse needs of all victims/survivors
•    services and accommodation that are physically and psychologically safe, and of high quality; and use up-to-date and appropriate practice
•    a DASA system (made up of various organisations – such as those from the violence against women and girls (VAWG) and housing sectors, and local authorities) that works across specialties and geographies, and is centred on victim/survivor outcomes
•    a sustainable and robust sector, funded to best meet victims’/survivors’ needs.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as public authorities, the Mayor and the GLA are subject to a public-sector equality duty and must have due regard to the need to:

•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2.    Protected characteristics under section 149 of the Equality Act are age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status. 

3.3.    Characteristics of victim/survivors of domestic abuse (national figures) are as follows:

•    Gender: women are much more likely than men to be the victims of high-risk or severe domestic abuse. Three-quarters of domestic abuse homicide victims in London between 2005 and 2020 were women.
•    Age: younger people are more likely to be subject to interpersonal violence. Most at high-risk victims are in their 20s or 30s. Those under 25 are the most likely to suffer interpersonal violence.
•    Pregnancy: nearly one in three people who suffer from domestic abuse during their lifetime report that the first incidence of violence happened while they were pregnant.
•    Disability: Deaf or disabled people are more than twice as likely to experience some form of domestic abuse (11.8 per cent) than non-disabled survivors (4.6 per cent). Amongst women, this figure is higher, with 14.7 per cent of victims of domestic abuse being Deaf or disabled.
•    Separation: domestic abuse is highest amongst those who have separated, followed by those who are divorced or single.
•    Drug and alcohol use: victims of abuse have a higher rate of drug and/or alcohol misuse (whether it starts before or after the abuse); at least 20 per cent of at high-risk victims of abuse report using drugs and/or alcohol.
•    Mental health: 40 per cent of at-high-risk victims of abuse report mental health difficulties.

3.4.    Given the above, the proposal in this paper (which seeks to support the extension of service provision) is likely to have positive impacts on several groups with protected characteristics – particularly women, and victims/survivors from marginalised and minoritised groups who are disproportionately impacted by domestic abuse. Specifically, the activities will ensure victim/survivors of domestic abuse maintain access to various pathways of support. 
 

Key risks and issues
4.1.    The table below outlines the risks and issues:
 

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.2.    The objectives of the proposals are in line with:
•    the Mayor’s DASA Strategy 2025-28
•    the Mayor’s London Housing Strategy, policy 7.2c
•    MOPAC’s Police and Crime Plan 2022-25 (tackling VAWG is one of three priority areas for action to protect people at especially high risk of crime)
•    MOPAC’s VAWG Strategy. 
4.3.    New versions of the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan, and the VAWG Strategy, are currently being developed.
Consultations and impact assessments
4.4.    Both the London Housing Strategy and the VAWG Strategy were subject to public consultation and equalities impact assessments. 

4.5.    The development of the Mayor’s current DASA strategy (2025-28) and Needs Assessment involved extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. This included those with whom the 2021 Act requires the GLA to consult on the draft strategy: the London DASA Partnership Board (Partnership Board) appointed by the GLA; and the London boroughs. A draft of the DASA strategy was published for consultation in October 2024. It was reviewed by the Partnership Board, London boroughs and wider VAWG sector stakeholders for their feedback. 

4.6.    There was also in-depth consultation and engagement during the development of the London DASA Needs Assessment (2024), which provides much of the data and information informing the proposals in the strategy. 
Conflicts of interest
4.7.    The officers involved in the drafting and clearance of this form have not identified any known conflicts of interest. 
 

5.1.    Approval is sought for the Assistant Director of Housing and Land to approve a £59,773 uplift in spend on the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation (DASA) continuation grants for 2025-26.MD3321 approved £6,416,268 spend on DASA continuation grant and this MD seeks to uplift the total grants for 2025-26 to £6,476,041 (increase of £59,773). This grant including the uplift will be funded from MHCLG 2025-26 DASA funding received in April 2025.

5.2.    DASA grants, funding and programmes are managed by the Specialist Housing Services unit within Housing and Land. This programme is part of Accommodation and Wider Support for Those Who Need It Most delivery plan.
 

Power to undertake the requested decisions.
6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Assistant Director concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers; and fall within the GLA’s statutory power to do such things considered to further or that are facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to, the promotion of social development within Greater London. In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:
•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people.
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the UK.
•    consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2.    In taking the decisions requested, the Assistant Director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Assistant Director should have regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
Grant funding
6.3.    The decision, above, seeks approval of a £59,773 uplift in spend on the DASA continuation grants for 2025-26. Where the increase in spend leads to an increase in the grant funding provided to a grantee under a continuation grant, officers are reminded to put in place appropriate documentation to govern the change in the amount of the funding. Furthermore, when distributing the grant funding, officers are reminded to comply with the requirements of section 12 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and with the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
 

This work will be delivered according to the following timetable: