A senior council watchdog is set to probe Bracknell Forest's new policy for protecting women.
The strategy was unveiled two weeks ago by council leader Helen Purnell and is now being lined up as a priority for the overview and scrutiny commission.
A senior councillor will meet the executive director to pencil in a tight investigation with clear goals for the executive.
Purnell has made it her personal mission to protect women and girls across the borough. Speaking to the Crowthorne Village Action Group she said she was determined that "something positive" must come out of the situation she inherited, with tackling violence against women and girls at the heart of that change.
At the centre of the work is a borough‑wide Women's Safety Charter, based on London's Women's Night Safety Charter. Every gym, school and college will be urged to sign, and the council wants to go further.
Scrutineers will give a steer to help chart the right direction and measure progress. Cllr Purnell branded violence against women as "an absolute scourge on our society" and set out a domestic abuse and safety strategy to roll out over the summer.
She said: "I want women and girls to feel safe in this borough and for men that abuse women physically, mentally or emotionally to know that we will no longer stand for it. You are being watched and will be reported."
"We have so many amazing men in the borough who are excellent role models for young boys. They will be celebrated so young boys have a positive alternative to the negative voices online." Through licensing and other relationships, the council hopes to win support from local organisations and businesses - pubs, bars, restaurants, late‑night venues, taxi and private‑hire firms, bus operators, railway stations, supermarkets, shopping centres, business parks, community centres, faith venues and major employers could all be asked to sign the charter.
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
