PLANS to tackle violence against women in Oldham will be put under the spotlight next week as the council seeks to strengthen its relationship with police to tackle the problem.

A motion will be tabled at the full council meeting on Wednesday, November 3 which proposes chief executive Harry Catherall write to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Stephen Watson.

Mr Catherall will be urged to write to CC Watson to ask for details about what training officers are given to support victims of sexual violence "given the reports of women being treated poorly by non-specialist officers of GMP in the past", the motion document states.

The council boss will also be expected to welcome an "improvement plan" the GMP chief has produced and that "there has been a lack of focus on support for those most vulnerable".

The motion comes as Oldham’s Domestic Abuse Strategy is set to be published.

The motion states: "This council notes the shocking prevalence of violence against women and girls, most recently made visible by the appalling murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. "This is fuelled by a toxic culture of misogyny, with a recent report from the APPG for UN Women finding that 71 per cent of women of all ages in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space.

"Tackling the violence and misogyny in society is a long-term challenge that requires a collective response, from the online companies that enable the sharing of harmful and abusive content to employers not doing enough to address inequality in the workplace.

"This council welcomes the recent publication of Greater Manchester’s Gender-Based Violence Strategy, which sets out a 10-year plan that includes every part of our society.

"In Oldham we also take a partnership approach to addressing gender-based violence, aiming to prevent future abuse (including by educating young people about healthy relationships), addressing the behaviour of those who have perpetrated abuse and providing support to survivors.

"The council is looking to strengthen this approach further, with a new Domestic Abuse Strategy following work with the charity SafeLives to review Oldham’s current activity."

The motion added: "Where violence is committed against women and girls, it is important we have a robust response from our police to deliver justice.

"This council notes the appalling statistic revealed by the government’s End-to-End Rape Review that only 1.6 per cent of rape cases brought to the police result in a charge.

"The fresh approach brought by the new Chief Constable of GMP since his appointment is important if we are to rebuild faith that justice will be served.

"The disbanding of GMP’s Serious Sexual Offences Unit in 2017 as part of a transformation in favour of omni-competence raised questions about the priorities of the force at the time."