Cllr Duncan Kerr, Mayor of Oswestry, will be presenting a motion to the next meeting of the Town Council seeking approval for work to combat domestic abuse.

Cllr Duncan Kerr, Mayor of Oswestry, will be presenting a motion to the next meeting of the Town Council seeking the support of his colleagues for:

• The “Ask Me” programme which trains local volunteers to understand the early signs of abuse and gives them the knowledge of how to get assistance, and
• The Town Council to become a White Ribbon authority and adopt a workplace policy to support employees affected by domestic abuse.

Cllr Kerr explained “Research shows that Domestic abuse is a serious issue that affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men during their lifetime. It can severely damage mental and physical health and for two women a week in the UK it results in death. Unfortunately the pandemic and lockdown has increased the risks with organisations like Respect seeing an 80% increase in calls. This month the Government wrote to all employers urging them to implement a workplace policy like the one proposed in my motion and I hope that my proposal will be unanimously supported across the Council”.

Shortly after becoming Mayor in May 2021, Cllr Kerr donated his entire mayoral allowance of £4,000 to the Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service to assist local victims and survivors of abuse with practical help to re-establish their lives.