(time limit 20 minutes)
Young Men’s Mental Health
This motion highlights the urgent need for strengthened support, awareness, and targeted interventions to address men’s mental health across our borough. National evidence shows that men continue to face significant barriers to seeking help. According to a study by Mind, 40% of men do not talk about their mental health due to stigma and fear of embarrassment. NHS data shows that 12.5% of all men in England are living with a mental health disorder, yet many remain undiagnosed or unsupported.
The consequences of this silence are profound. As reported by the BBC, suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 and figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 75% of all suicides in England and Wales in 2024 were male; the highest proportion recorded in the last 25 years. Regionally, the Northwest faces some of the most concerning outcomes, with a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000, the second highest of any region in England.
We believe that it is vital that a focus on young men’s mental health needs to be addressed. Mental health can have a severe impact on various areas of life, ones that have detrimental consequence into adulthood. Given the statistics already mentioned, it is no wonder that mental health demonstrates negative impact on school attendance, sleep disruption and ultimately, stress related sickness for young people in employment.
As young men from Oldham Youth Service, we are attempting to address this issue through creation of the MAN (Masculinity and Normality) Project. We hope to reduce discriminatory attitudes, believing this starts with the promotion of good mental health amongst men. October saw our first schools conference, bringing together young men with the theme of ‘breaking the armour.’ This aimed to encourage conversations about supporting one another and being more open-minded about mental health discussion.
But this is just the start. It was evident that of the 80 plus young men in attendance, mental health is still a very prevalent topic affecting our young population. According to Oldham Council’s Suicide Prevention Plan, Oldham’s suicide rate stands at 10.0 per 100,000, emphasising the need for proactive and well-resourced action. Early intervention in young men’s mental health is critical in preventing the onset of long-term impacts.
This motion therefore asks Oldham Council to recognise the scale of the challenge, to prioritise men’s mental health within local strategies, and to work with partners to reduce stigma, improve access to support, and ultimately, save lives.
We also ask Oldham Council to leverage its influence by writing directly to the Government and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, advocating for urgent and targeted investment in young men's mental health services.
As local resources are stretched and the national crisis in young people's mental health, particularly for young men who are less likely to seek help, demands a scaled-up, dedicated funding stream. Targeting support for young men now will significantly reduce the future incidence and impact of long-term mental health conditions, easing the burden on crisis services and ensuring every young person in Oldham receives the support they deserve without facing debilitating waiting lists or barriers.