An Isle of Wight councillor has lodged a motion calling for mental health to be a ‘priority’ across all of County Hall’s areas of responsibility.
Cllr Ed Blake, who represents Ventnor and St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight Council, tabled his plea for ‘proactive action’ on tackling the stigma of mental health and suicide following the deaths of three men he grew up with this year.
The proposition said:
“This council believes as a local authority we have a crucial role to play in improving the mental health of everyone in our community and tackling the stigma that exists on the Island around mental health and suicide.
“We will proactively listen to people of all ages and backgrounds about what they need for better mental health and ensure that people know where to go to seek help at the earliest opportunity.”
Four steps are called for: promoting training for everyone around mental health and suicide, increased funding for support services, developing and promoting community support programs and collaboration with local businesses on mental health initatives in communities and workplaces.
Cllr Blake said:
“This year there have been three guys I grew up with that have taken their own lives. It’s stuff that has happened repeatedly.
“We do have a very high rate on the Island per thousand. I’m told by Simon Bryant (director of public health at the Isle of Wight Council) it’s not a rising number but it is a very high number compared to national figures.
“A friend came to me saying: is there anything you can do as a councillor?”
In response, Cllr Blake set up a meeting with Simon Bryant, and Hampshire County Council public health consultant Sue Cochrane, who is the suicide lead for the Island.
They discussed what he had heard from friends and others affected by the situation, services the council currently delivers and what could be done better, all of which inspired the motion.
Referencing “key deficiencies” at present, he said:
“Forty-six per cent of men wouldn’t feel comfortable talking to their employer about their mental health.
“One of the key things that isn’t being done is targeting people through their workplace, talking to businesses about their staff’s mental health.
“People are getting more and more isolated, particularly with social media replacing external connections that you might have had in the pub, for instance.
“Workplaces, associations, community groups – those are the few human contacts that some people have these days – so it’s getting more emphasis in those places.
“More funding needs to be put towards this issue.”
The motion will be heard on Wednesday at full council. The meeting starts at 6pm.
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