With International Women’s Day on Wednesday, this week as always, we should all pay tribute and give thanks to the women in our lives.
I am fortunate to work alongside some hugely talented female Parliamentarians, and it was especially sad when we received the news last week that the first woman to become Speaker of the House of Commons, Baroness Betty Boothroyd, passed away aged 93.
As a working-class woman entering Parliament for Labour at a time when only 4% of MPs were female, Betty Boothroyd not only broke through the glass ceiling, she shattered it. I am delighted that Betty has helped to lay the path for many more women to enter Parliament, and I firmly believe that our country is a better place for it.
Part of the reason why we need more female voices in Parliament is to further change areas where issues overwhelmingly or entirely impact women.
One such area which has been debated thoroughly both inside and outside of Parliament is the experience that women and girls face in our society compared to most men. This experience can range from harassment in the street, to the most serious violent and sexual offences that are too often perpetrated against women and girls.
In the past few years at a national level, we have acted to strengthen the laws to tackle the most serious crimes against women, for example by limiting the early release of offenders. We are also increasing support for victims and survivors, and increasing the number of perpetrators brought to justice.
Locally, more than £280,000 has been spent by South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) to upgrade ageing CCTV technology as part of the £3.9 million our area received as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. SKDC currently operates more than 70 cameras covering local public open spaces in Grantham, Stamford, and Bourne - all of which are monitored 24/7.
In addition, we have secured almost £800,000 investment for Lincolnshire from the two latest rounds of the Safer Streets Fund, with a focus on tackling violence against women in public places, as well as neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour.
While this is good news, there is always more we can do. So this week, I have launched a new survey to give women and girls in our area an opportunity to have their say directly on what they feel needs to be done to ensure their safety and sense of security - at home, online, and on our streets. The results of my survey will be shared with local authorities and Lincolnshire Police.
Those who would like to take part in my survey can do so below:
