Cllr Simon Morrall united Birmingham City Council chamber unanimously with a passionate speech on male suicide and mental health.
In the UK, the single biggest killer of men under 45 is suicide, and Cllr Morrall spoke of losing his friend to suicide in 2016:
“Since being elected I have donated a sum of my allowance to the charity CALM to help raise awareness of male suicide and have continued to bang the drum on the issue. In October I ran the half marathon for the cause, before lobbying the Conservative Group to bring this issue to the chamber for debate.”
My emotional speech / motion on suicide prevention. Following cross party unity, the chamber voted unanimously in support of it. Thanks for the support. Remember, if you're feeling crap, talk to somebody and next time you ask if somebody is ok, just ask them again… it could save a life! Cheers. If you require help, please call the Samaritans 24 hours helpline on 116 123
Geplaatst door Simon Morrall op Donderdag 8 november 2018
In October, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of the first UK Minister for Suicide Prevention and plans for an annual ‘State of the Nation’ report on young people’s mental wellbeing.
In the budget, the chancellor anounced an extra £2 billion for mental health services, while the mental health chief of The West Midlands Combined authority has set a zero suicide target for the West Midlands.
Cllr Morrall concluded his address saying:
“As a largest council in Europe, we should strengthen our resolve as a city, and have a zero tolerance to suicide. We should aim to smash the stigma surrounding mental health and as the second city, become the gold standard for the rest of the country to follow.”