Member Champions Dedicated to Ending Violence against Women and Girls Appointed by Wiltshire Council

Wiltshire Council has appointed two Member Champions to drive forward work to end Violence Against Women and Girls. 

Following a motion approved by Full Council on 21 July, Cllr Julie Vine and Cllr Alan Hagger have been confirmed as the Member Champions. They will act as advocates for this agenda across the council and wider community. 

The champions will work closely with council services, partner agencies, community organisations and residents to promote action that helps prevent violence, supports victims and survivors, and challenges behaviours that contribute to abuse and harm. 

Cllr Hagger has had extensive experience in the commissioning of domestic abuse services and has participated in national pilots on VAWG related areas including legal support, stalking and harassment and devolution of funding. Cllr Hagger is the current council portfolio holder for crime, community safety, and PCC transition, and also sits on the Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel. 

Cllr Julie Vine is a former teacher and police officer, and also sits on the Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel.

The decision to appoint the champions comes against a backdrop of growing national concern about violence against women and girls. The National Police Chiefs' Council has described violence against women and girls as a "national emergency", with offences recorded by police increasing significantly in recent years.

While domestic abuse and other forms of violence can affect people of all genders, the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) framework focuses on crimes and behaviours that disproportionately impact women and girls, recognising the specific risks and inequalities they face. 

Cllr Mel Jacob, Deputy Leader of Wiltshire Council and Cabinet Member for Communities, said:

"Following a really powerful and emotional discussion at Full Council in July, I'm pleased we have two Member Champions with the experience of both Cllr Hagger and Cllr Vine to take on this important role. Having two members as advocates will help ensure council services are connected with the valuable wider work carried out by local partners. 

"There are already strong foundations in place to support women and girls who suffer violence and abuse, but this role will bring extra voices and expertise to drive the work in this area even further. 

“I wish Julie and Alan good luck with their new role and thank those that expressed an interest.”  

Cllr Alan Hagger said:

"I'm very pleased to be given this opportunity and look forward to working with Cllr Vine to deliver real improvements to the support available for women and girls. 

"My experience has reinforced the importance of understanding why some women and girls face greater barriers to accessing support, so I hope we can make a real difference. 

"We also want to ensure stability in this vital area of work, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding the planned national changes to the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner in the coming years. 

"We are already in the early stages of developing a plan to identify areas where change is needed and to drive progress, so that all partners involved in this work have the best possible opportunities to prevent the horrific crimes that some women and girls are

forced to endure." 

Cllr Julie Vine said:

“It is a privilege and I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to work alongside Cllr Alan Haggar as Champions with our focus on bringing an end to violence against woman and girls in Wiltshire.   

“Together we will focus our attention on the issues that impact on violence towards woman and girls. We will be liaising with multiagency groups to understand the ways in which we can work together, highlighting areas for improvement. 

“In my career as a teacher I was able to participate in multi-professional teams to bring about change in relationships where violence caused many problems. I see education as a valuable partner to being violence towards woman and girls to an end. 

“It is vital that in our rural villages and towns and our city, that woman and girls feel safe wherever they are and if necessary can have confidence to seek support.” 

The appointments build on a significant programme of work already taking place across Wiltshire to address domestic abuse, as well as emerging work to end violence against women and girls.

This includes collaboration with Wiltshire Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, health partners, schools, charities and voluntary sector organisations through the county's Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board and Violence Against Women and Girls Partnership Board, driven through the Wiltshire Community Safety Partnership. 

If someone is affected by domestic abuse, support is available. FearFree offer support and advice for victims and families affected by domestic abuse in Wiltshire, as well as support for those who wish to change their abusive behaviour. They can be contacted via: 

• Phone: 0300 124 0927 

• Email: spa@fearfree.org.uk  

• Website: https://www.fearfree.org.uk/refer/wiltshire/  

 
People should always call 999 in an emergency. 

More information about the motion that was discussed at Full Council can be found at Agenda and draft minutes - Democratic Services - Wiltshire Council 

More information on domestic abuse and the support available can be found at Domestic abuse awareness and information - Wiltshire Council.