Agenda item
TO CONSIDER MOTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
The motions submitted by Councillors for debate at this meeting are set out in the attached report.
Minutes:
12.5 Motion regarding the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge
Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs moved, and Councillor Rachael Saunders seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.
Councillor Shafiqul Haque moved an amendment to delete the following sentence from the motion: “Full Council previously passed a motion on 22 Jan 2014, agreeing to sign up to the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge and commit to its 10 actions, but the previous Mayor and Cabinet failed to take this forward.” Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs and Councillor Rachael Saunders indicated that they would not accept the amendment, which was not seconded.
Following debate, the motion as printed in the agenda was put to the vote and was agreed unanimously. Accordingly it was:-
RESOLVED
This Council notes:
1. 1 in 5 people has a mental health condition at any one time.
2. The World Health Organisation predicts that depression will be the second most common health condition worldwide by 2020.
3. Mental ill health has an economic and social cost of £105 billion each year in England alone.
4. People with a severe mental illness die up to 20 years younger than their peers in the UK.
5. There is often a circular relationship between mental health and issues such as housing, overcrowding, employment, family problems or debt.
6. The Local Authority Mental Health Challenge was set up by Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Foundation, Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, Royal College of Psychiatrists and YoungMinds, to support councils to take a proactive approach to improving mental health in local communities.
This Council further notes:
1. The local Mental Health Strategy states that “Tower Hamlets has amongst the highest levels of mental health need in England.”
2. The strategic plan, recently revised under the current Mayor, includes a strategic priority to “reduce health inequalities and promote mental and physical wellbeing”, including a specific action to “promote positive mental health and wellbeing across the council and community”.
3. Full Council previously passed a motion on 22 Jan 2014, agreeing to sign up to the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge and commit to its 10 actions, but the previous Mayor and Cabinet failed to take this forward.
This Council believes:
1. As a local authority we have a crucial role to play in improving the mental health of everyone in our community and tackling some of the widest and most entrenched inequalities in health.
2. Mental health should be a priority across all the local authority’s functions, from public health, adult social care and children’s services to housing, planning and public realm.
3. All Councillors, whether members of the Executive or Scrutiny and in our community and casework roles, can play a positive role in championing mental health on an individual and strategic basis.
This Council resolves:
To publicly sign the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge.
To support implementation of the Challenge and its commitments through an action plan, which integrates with and builds on the council’s strategic plan and the Health and Wellbeing Board’s Mental Health Strategy.
We commit to the 10 pledges that form the Mental Health Challenge:
1. Appoint an elected member as ‘mental health champion’ across the Council
2. Identify a ‘lead officer’ for mental health to link in with colleagues across the Council
3. Follow the implementation framework for the mental health strategy where it is relevant to the Council’s work and local needs
4. Work to reduce inequalities in mental health in our community
5. Work with the NHS to integrate health and social care support
6. Promote wellbeing and initiate and support action on public mental health, for example through our joint health and wellbeing strategy
7. Tackle discrimination on the grounds of mental health in our community
8. Encourage positive mental health in our schools, colleges and workplaces
9. Proactively engage and listen to people of all ages and backgrounds about what they need for better mental health
10. Restate the commitment to the Time to Change pledge, the national programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination.
We further commit to support councillors and staff to promote positive mental health and support people with mental health problems:
11. Introduce mental health awareness training for all elected members and promote the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge guide for councillors, to ensure we can support our constituents and know the appropriate referral routes.
12. Introduce training for frontline staff, such as housing and lettings teams, so they can identify, signpost and support people with mental health needs appropriately, including knowing the right referral routes to ensure people get timely help.
Motion 12.2 had been withdrawn. Motions 12.1, 12.3 – 12.4 and 12.6 – 12.9 were not debated due to lack of time.
Supporting documents: