PCD 1394 Women’s Night Safety Charter 2023/24 – 2024/25

PCD 1394 Women’s Night Safety Charter 2023/24 – 2024/25

In his refreshed Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2022-25, the Mayor confirmed his continued commitment to making London safer for women and girls by building on the UN Safe Cities and Safe Public accreditation London achieved in 2018. He, along with the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and the London Night Czar have been working with partners to improve women's safety, and in 2018 launched the Women’s Night Safety Charter to make London a city where all women feel confident and welcome at night.  

The Mayor invested £108,000 in 2021/22 in the Charter, overseen by Safer Business Network as the leading business crime reduction partnership in London (PCD 1024), and signatories to the Charter have now increased to over 1,000. In his 2021 mayoral election manifesto, he committed to expanding the Charter.   

This decision seeks approval to continue to fund the Safer Business Network to carry on this work, supporting the further development and expansion of the Charter over the next two financial years. This requires total funding of up to £216,000 (up to £108,000 in both 2023/24 and 2024/25).    

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve the award of up to £216,000 (£108,000 in 2023/24 and £108,000 in 2024/25) to the Safer Business Network to continue to develop and expand the Women’s Night Safety Charter. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background 

1. The Women’s Night Safety Charter was developed to encourage local authorities, businesses, venues and other organisations to prioritise women’s safety. It comprises seven key pledges to improve women’s safety and perception of safety. The pledges are: 

• Appoint a women’s night safety champion 

• Provide regular communications to staff and customers about women’s safety 

• Encourage reporting by victims and bystanders 

• Provide information for staff and customers on how to report harassment 

• Train staff to ensure everyone who makes a report is believed 

• Train staff to ensure all reports are recorded and responded to 

• Ensure public spaces are planned and designed to be safe at night  

2. The Charter is part of the Mayor’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy. It is championed and led by the Night Czar, with work supported by teams across the GLA family. It is part of London’s commitment to the UN Women Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces global initiative. 

3. The Mayor invested £108,000 in 2021/22 in the Charter, overseen by Safer Business Network as the leading business crime reduction partnership (BCRP) in London (PCD 1024 relates). Signatories to the Charter have now increased to just over 1,000.  

2. Issues for consideration  

1. In his 2021 mayoral election manifesto, the Mayor committed to expand the Women's Night Safety Charter. In his refreshed Tackling VAWG Strategy 2022-25, he confirmed his continued support in making London safer for women and girls by building on the UN Safe Cities and Safe Public accreditation London achieved in 2018.  

2. This decision seeks approval to continue to fund the Safer Business Network to carry on this work, addressing VAWG and increasing the confidence of women and girls in the response of organisations to women’s safety in London.  

3. This will support the further development and expansion of the Charter over the next two financial years, requiring total funding of up to £216,000 (£108,000 in both 2023/24 and 2024/25).   

4. The high-level objectives around expansion and further development are: 

• Further increase the number of Charter signatories 

• Continuing network growth for signatories, with ownership of the Charter, best practice advice, and support and actively making London safer for women 

• Continue to support businesses/organisations in implementing the Charter and its pledges, making a positive impact on Womens' experience of London.  

3. Financial Comments  

1. This decision seeks approval to award £108,000 in both 2023/24 and 2024/25 (£216,000 in total) to the Safer Business Network to continue to develop and expand the Women’s Night Safety Charter.   

2. Funding will be met from the Women’s Night Safety Charter budget in 2023/24, and from earmarked reserves in 2024/25.     

4. Legal Comments  

1. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all offers of grant funding.   

2. Paragraph 4.13 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all unforeseen variations and extensions to contracts with an original value of £500,000 or above, when the variation or extension is greater than 10% of the original value and/or is for a period of more than 12 months.  

3. Paragraph 4.6 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides the DMPC authority to delegate those functions which are reserved for the DMPC.     

4. These recommendations are in line with the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent.    

5. Officers must ensure the Financial Regulations and Contract Regulations are complied with.    

6. Officers should ensure that the funding agreements are put in place with and executed by MOPAC and each of the providers before any commitment to fund is made.  

5. Commercial Issues  

1. The Safer Business Network administer and oversee the Women’s Night Safety Charter, and are therefore best placed to continue to develop and expand it.   

2. This decision requests to create a new grant agreement with the Safer Business Network.  

3. MOPAC makes no commitment to provide this funding to the Safer Business Network until the grant agreement has been signed by both parties.  

6. Public Health Approach  

1. This decision provides funding to enable a better informed and more cohesive partnership approach to improving outcomes for victims in London which will align with and support the VRU’s and MOPAC’s public health approach to tackling the causes of violent crime in London. 

7. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.   

8. Equality Comments  

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

2. The funded activity will have direct benefit to women by helping to implement measures to make them feel safer in London. 

9. Background/supporting papers 

1. PCD 1024 Women’s Night Safety Charter