Mother-of-four Nicole Hurley died in October 2021

• THE devastating murder of Nicole Hurley in 2021 put into clear focus the epidemic of violence against women and girls that still urgently needs to be addressed.

Earlier this month Nicole’s murderer was sentenced to 22 years in prison. While we hope this can provide some closure for the friends and family of Nicole, it does not take away from the fact that this terrible act of violence should never have been allowed to happen, and that too many women today are still affected by domestic abuse and violence.

We have remained committed to doing everything we can to address violence against women and girls and to make the borough a place where women can feel safe to go about their daily lives without feeling scared or intimidated.

Each year we invest £400k to expand services to tackle domestic abuse and support survivors and their families.

So far this work has included implementing a policy to ensure council tenants who are victims of abuse are properly supported and introducing support programmes for children and young people who have been exposed to domestic violence. Camden also launched a service offering free legal advice to domestic abuse survivors.

It’s been a year since we opened Camden’s first Safety Hub as part of work to improve night-time safety, especially for women and girls.

We’ve also carried out a series of women’s walkabouts and surveys to hear first-hand about their experiences and the changes they want to see.

Camden has always taken a stand against domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, but we know we must go further urgently to protect women and girls from male violence so the work will not stop here.

If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of, domestic abuse we are here to support you. Head to camden.gov.uk/domestic-violence for information.

Our deepest sympathies go the family and loved ones of Nicole, and we’d like to invite communities to a vigil in memory of Nicole at Kingsland on Friday November 10 at 6pm.

PAT CALLAGHAN & ANNA BURRAGE
Camden Labour Councillors