Plans to secure 32 domestic abuse refuge spaces

Three refuges for women and children fleeing domestic abuse are set to continue operating for at least another three years.

Cambridgeshire County Council's communities, social mobility and inclusion committee has been asked to approve plans to award contracts worth up to £478,000 a year.

The aim is to maintain the current space for 32 women and their children across the three centres.

"Refuges provide accommodation for those fleeing but importantly safety from the perpetrator and support to move on with their lives," a report being presented to the committee said.

Residents are typically women from other parts of the country facing a "significant risk" if they remained in their own homes.

The service provides support to help people recover from domestic abuse, access benefits and local services, obtain support for their children and move into independent accommodation "when the time is right".

The centre in the South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge area has 11 spaces, the Fenland and East Cambridgeshire centre nine and Huntingdonshire 12 spaces.

The council said refuge provision was a key part of its statutory duty under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and was funded through a ring-fenced government grant.

The new contracts would begin in April 2027 and run until March 2030, with options to extend them for a further three years.

Council officers said failing to secure the service could leave the authority unable to meet key elements of its legal responsibilities to provide safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse.

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