Council pledges £250,000 to turn recommendations into reality
Free youth clubs, safer public spaces, more women in leadership positions and lifelong education to challenge harmful behaviours are among the ideas put forward by Maidstone residents to help address Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
The proposals form part of a major new borough-wide action plan after 37 residents spent weeks examining the issue through a pioneering citizen deliberation project which is believed to be the first of its kind in England on this subject.
To make sure everyone felt safe to speak, discussions started in smaller groups of people with similar experiences or identities, before everyone came together as one group to shape the final recommendations. This approach, sometimes called 'enclave deliberation,' helped to build trust and understanding early on, creating the conditions for honest and open conversation.
The ground-breaking work was made possible through the partnership of Involve UK and Maidstone Borough Council. The project brought together a diverse group of residents and young people, selected to broadly reflect Maidstone's population who worked alongside experts, charities, councillors and community leaders to develop recommendations aimed at preventing violence before it starts. This work drew on insights and learnings from the 2025 VAWG public dialogues in Belfast.
The recommendations reveal a strong belief that addressing violence against women and girls is not solely an issue for the police or support services, but something that requires action across schools, workplaces, communities, families and local and national government.
Among the highest-priority recommendations was a call for lifelong education about violence against women and girls, with participants arguing that learning should begin early, continue into adulthood and include schools, workplaces, sports clubs and community spaces. Residents also called for bystander training, awareness campaigns and other learning approaches to help people recognise and challenge harmful behaviours before they escalate.
Participants also highlighted the need for more women in positions of influence and decision-making. Recommendations included leadership programmes for girls and women, mentoring opportunities and campaigns to encourage greater participation in civic and political life.
Young people shaped and featured strongly throughout the discussions, with one of the final recommendations calling for the return of free youth clubs and safe social spaces where young men and women can mix, build relationships and develop a stronger sense of community. Participants argued that a lack of accessible places for young people to spend time together can leave them isolated and increasingly reliant on online spaces.
Public safety was another major theme. Residents called for better lighting, improved visibility of support services, increased awareness campaigns and the design of public spaces that better reflect the experiences of women and girls.
Councillor David Naghi, Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Safety, said: "What makes this work so powerful is that these ideas have come directly from Maidstone residents. They are practical, ambitious and rooted in real experiences of life in our borough.
“Participants looked beyond the immediate causes of violence and asked deeper questions about education, culture, representation, public spaces and opportunities for young people. The result is a set of recommendations that challenge all of us, whether that's national or local government, businesses, schools, community organisations or residents themselves, to play a role in creating lasting change."
Stephanine Draper, Director of Innovation and Practice at Involve UK said: "What made this powerful wasn't just that residents were asked their views, it's how they got there. Women, young women, men and young men first spoke honestly within their own groups, before coming together to test ideas and hear each other out. They weighed up real trade-offs, accurate information and meaningful change, not just first reactions. That's what gives their recommendations their weight: they're the considered judgement of the people who will live with the outcome. The process itself has done something important too, it has built trust between communities and shown that when people are given a genuine say, they come up with great solutions that are then acted on."
To support delivery, the council has committed £250,000 towards implementing its responsibilities within the new action plan while working with partners to secure additional funding and resources.
The programme includes work on public awareness campaigns, improving support for survivors, safer public spaces, engaging men and boys in prevention work, achieving White Ribbon Accreditation and embedding lived experience into future decision-making.
The action plan will now be taken forward through the Safer Maidstone Partnership's VAWG Action Group, which brings together organisations working across community safety, health, housing, education and support services.