Boris' broken promise on rape crisis

The Labour Group on the London Assembly have called on the Mayor to keep his promise on funding for rape crisis centres

Responding to the Mayor's announcement that the GLA and Ealing council will support a new centre in Ealing, Val Shawcross said: "While of course any moves to improve and increase the support for rape victims is welcome, the funding announced today does not come close to what Boris promised during his election campaign. He said he would provide over £2 million and until he does that it just looks like he's betraying those he made promises to when he wanted their vote"

During his 2008 election campaign, Boris Johnson promised a total of £2.23m for rape crisis centres over three years (£744,000 a year). But last November it was revealed at a London Assembly Budget Committee meeting that the GLA had only budgeted for £233,000 a year, not the £744,000 promised during the election.

After widespread criticism, the Mayor has since announced that the GLA will provide £1.4m over three years – more than critics thought, but still almost half what he promised. He has today announced in a joint venture with Ealing council, £375,000 for a new centre and £260,000 to support the one existing centre in Croydon.

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Notes

1. Valerie Shawcross is Labour Lonon Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark

2. Page 9 of Boris Johnson's Crime Manifesto said: "…we will act immediately to provide long-term funding for four Rape Crisis Centres in London. We would provide funding for these centres by cutting the number of GLA spin doctors.

Current annual expenditure at the centre in one remaining centre in Croydon was £178,823 in 2006/7. Adjusting this for inflation gives an estimate of annual running costs of £186,000 in 2008/09. Therefore to secure the funding for this centre and three others would require ringfencing of around £744,000 annually."

3. There was a 14.5% increase in rape incidents in London last year (The Way Forward, A call for action to end violence against women, April 2009).

4. The Evening Standard reported in April how campaigners felt "betrayed" by the Mayor's "broken promise" http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23678447-details/Boris+betrayal+as+he+breaks+his+promise/article.do