Scottish council becomes Europe's first to offer paid leave to domestic violence victims

A Scottish council has become the first in Europe to offer up to 10 days of paid leave to victims of domestic violence.

Councillors in South Ayrshire voted unanimously in favour of the policy which was inspired by a similar measure in New Zealand.

It will also support council employees as they go to medical appointments and counselling, attend legal proceedings, look for safe housing and visit support agencies.

The change comes after a motion from Scottish National Party (SNP) councillor Laura Brennan-Whitefield and Labour councillor Brian McGinley.

Ms Brennan-Whitefield hailed the change as “fantastic”. She said all managers would be trained to understand domestic abuse.

“I feel South Ayrshire is now leading the way and I am really pleased we are the first council to have done this," she said. "It is a recognition we are looking after the most vulnerable. I hope other councils and other organisations follow".

Scottish Councillor Peter Henderson said: “Giving abused employees access to up to 10 days’ safe leave, where they can take the time off they need to access help and support without the worry of it affecting their finances or using up their annual leave, will make a real and lasting difference that could help change lives forever.

“And just by making that support available, it could help give employees the confidence to ask for help and take the first steps towards a safer life for them and their families.”

Hazel Bingham, Manager of South Ayrshire Women’s Aid, said she had “no doubt” the measure would make a “long and lasting difference for people at a time when they need help most".

Domestic abuse victims should be given paid leave, in a move that could “save lives”, MPs said last October, in a parliamentary report which calls for “much stronger action” to tackle domestic violence in the UK.

The Home Affairs Committee said domestic abuse leave would help victims keep their jobs and maintain economic independence while escaping abuse.

New Zealand became the first country in the world to pass legislation allowing victims of domestic violence paid leave last July. MPs cheered as the Domestic Violence Victims Protection Bill passed by 63 votes to 57.

The new measures mean domestic violence victims are eligible to fast-tracked flexible work conditions drawn up to make sure they are safe. This includes changing their work location, altering their email address and having their contact details taken down from the business’s website.

Jan Logie, a Green MP who worked in a women’s refuge for domestic violence survivors before becoming a politician, had been working on the bill, which passed in the country, for seven years.

New Zealand has one of the developed world’s highest rates of domestic violence. Authorities say about a third of women in the country experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetimes, and 76 per cent of incidents are not reported to police.

Police respond to a family violence incident every four minutes in the country, and family violence is estimated to cost the island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean between NZ$4.1bn and NZ$7bn a year.