Southwark Green Party (SGP) stands in solidarity with Sisters Uncut, a feminist group taking direct action to defend services for victims of domestic violence. As a political party that campaigns for equal rights and better public services, SGP believes that Southwark Council has it within its power to prioritise a sufficient number of its empty council homes to provide refuge for all survivors of domestic abuse. We also call on the council to reinstate Black and Minority Ethnic domestic violence services, which have been cut.

We note the following statement from Sisters Uncut (Facebook, 21 September 2016): "As immediate short-term support, Southwark Council currently only has 27 beds as refuge provision. This figure means the council often houses vulnerable survivors in inappropriate places such as hostels or B&Bs, or forces them into street homelessness. This is not OK."

We are concerned that if no action is taken by the council to address this grave situation, women will continue to die at the hands of their abusers. We hope to see a positive outcome from the meeting between Southwark Council and Sisters Uncut on 9th November 2016, and urge the council to work with the Sisters to protect victims of domestic violence in our borough.