Ards and North Down Council has agreed to write to Communities Minister Gordon Lyons seeking a review of funding for North Down and Ards Women's Aid.

Councillors Pete Wray and Katherine Newman tabled the motion after the charity recorded a 186% rise in refuge referrals between 2023 and March 2026.

Floating support referrals increased by 33% over the same period, reaching 496 by the end of March 2026.

The motion also asks the Northern Ireland Executive to establish an emergency fund to cover immediate costs such as deposits and rent in advance for women leaving domestic abuse.

CEO Emalyn Turkington said the local refuge is always full and cannot meet all requests for emergency accommodation.

The charity recorded 103 refuge referrals by March 2026 compared with 36 at the end of the 2023 financial year.

The councillors noted that the Executive's Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy focuses on prevention while current service demand exceeds available provision.