Polly is backing a petition launched by the Labour Councillor for Beacon Road on Thanet District Council, Cllr Jo Bright, calling on Kent County Council (KCC) to take action to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Councillor Jo Bright submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Kent Police, which revealed that Thanet has the highest levels of VAWG incidents out of all 12 districts in Kent – nearly two and half times the number recorded in Sevenoaks.
In total, there were 3785 incidents of violent or sexual offences against women and girls between January 2024 and December 2025 in Thanet, with 55% of those being domestic abuse suffered at the hands of an intimate partner or family member.
Cllr Bright, who is a long-standing campaigner for women and girls’ safety as part of the Thanet Women and Girls Network, said the figures showed that KCC was currently failing in its duty to women and girls in Thanet, and that action was needed.
Her petition calls on KCC to increase funding for Thanet’s specialist domestic abuse support services, which are on the front-line of this crisis, and to deliver mandatory training on domestic abuse and violence against women and girls to all council members and frontline staff.