Boris backtracks on rape crisis funding

The one bright-spot in Boris Johnson’s election as London Mayor was that he promised to fund four new rape crisis centres.

He’s already cancelled the Capital Woman conference for International Women’s Day.

He cut funding for Soho Pride.

Purged his team of women.

Now, according to a press release from Green London Assembly Member Jenny Jones, he has scaled back his promise on rape crisis centres:

Jenny Jones, Green Party Assembly Member, today forced London’s Mayor

to admit that he will not deliver new rape crisis centres in London on

the scale he promised in his manifesto.

Before being elected, the Mayor pledged to provide £744,000 a year to

fund the one existing rape crisis centre in London, along with three

more new centres. However, under questioning by Jenny at the London

Assembly budget committee, the Mayor stated that he would only provide

£233,000 a year.

“Increased support for the victims of rape was an important part of

Boris Johnson’s pledge to Londoners to tackle crime if they elected

him. Now he is in office, he has cut his proposal by more than

£500,000. He may say that he can lever in funds from elsewhere, but

unless long-term funding is assured, rape victims will continue to

suffer from inadequate support.”

Image from Annie Mole, shared under a Creative Commons license, is a geeky Twitter joke