Story by Eli Haidari.

As Richmond Council work to tackle violence against women and girls, residents are urged to request additional street lighting on the borough's public roads and footpaths where they feel unsafe.

Councillors have been informed by local residents that certain streets in the borough have clear inadequate lighting which make commuting through certain areas an unsafe and daunting experience.

To get a better picture of where these streets are, the council is reminding residents that they can request additional lighting on public highways and footpaths by completing an online form.

Cllr Gareth Roberts, the Leader of Richmond Council, said: "A YouGov survey from 2021 shows that almost two thirds of women say they 'always' or 'often' feel unsafe when walking alone outdoors, and that 41% take regular steps to protect themselves from sexual assault.

"Whilst better street lighting is part of a much larger puzzle to help improve the safety of women and girls at night, the way our streets are designed does have an impact on the likelihood of crimes being committed and a well-lit will help people feel safer at night."

Despite the council's online form being limited to street lighting, the met police also have a Street Safe website where locals can record areas where they feel unsafe due to other factors such as abandoned buildings, vandalism or areas where people have experienced verbal abuse.

The council has allocated £139,000 towards its Safety of Women at Night strategy, which includes the following strands of work:

• Increasing engagement with businesses operating at night-time, ensuring they understand safe space initiatives and work with us to improve the safety of women and girls in and around their venues 
• Increasing community safety officer focus where businesses and communities are active at night 
• Delivering bystander training to businesses and night-time staff 
• Holding one stop shops across the borough to allow people to access support and advice on safety measures 
• Developing a 'Safety of Women and Girls' community forum to bring together partner businesses and the local community 
• Delivering communications to raise awareness around staying safe at night 
• Working with schools to engage with young boys aged 13 and dover 
• Providing direct support to survivors of sexual abuses and harassment 
• Working with the Street Pastors to provide visible and practical support to vulnerable women at night