The Home Office has rejected calls to provide dedicated funding for domestic homicide reviews in England and Wales, prompting criticism from campaigners and abuse experts.
Nicole Jacobs described the decision as “deeply concerning”, warning that local councils are struggling to afford investigations into deaths linked to domestic abuse.
Domestic homicide reviews, known as DHRs, are multi-agency investigations carried out after a person aged 16 or over dies following suspected abuse, violence or neglect involving a partner, family member or someone living in the same household.
The reviews are designed to help public bodies learn lessons from tragedies and improve protections for future victims.
Jacobs warned that without dedicated government funding, some councils may no longer be able to continue conducting the reviews.
“When someone loses their life to domestic abuse, we should be doing all we can to learn from this tragedy and ensure it never happens again,” she said.
“The lack of dedicated funding to ensure councils can conduct these potentially life-saving reviews is deeply concerning.”
According to estimates from Jacobs’ office and the Local Government Association, each domestic homicide review costs around £10,000.
The commissioner said rising financial pressures were making it increasingly difficult for local authorities to fund investigations, particularly as the number of cases continues to grow.
Domestic homicide reviews were introduced in 2011 and later expanded in 2016 to include suicides linked to domestic abuse.
Recent figures show domestic abuse-related suicides have exceeded homicides for three consecutive years.
Jacobs urged ministers to provide direct financial support for review panels, specialist chairs, family support services and systems for sharing lessons nationally.
“If it wants to achieve its mission and be a world leader in tackling violence against women and girls, it must be braver and bolder in its decisions,” she said.
“Ministers must reconsider this response and make dedicated funding available to ensure DHRs can be effectively conducted. This will not just deliver genuine improvements for people subject to domestic abuse, it will ultimately save lives.”
In response, the Home Office acknowledged concerns over financial pressures but said local government funding settlements already cover domestic homicide reviews.
“Funding for DHRs is provided through the local government funding settlement and unfortunately, the Home Office is unable to provide specific guidance on how funding should be allocated locally,” the department said.
Officials added that new statutory guidance and digital tools are being developed to improve efficiency and reduce delays in the review process.
The government also confirmed plans to monitor how recommendations from domestic homicide reviews are implemented across departments.
The issue comes as the Labour Party continues to promise stronger action against violence targeting women and girls, which it has described as a “national emergency”.