COUNCILLORS have welcomed the progress made on a proposed action plan aimed at the prevention of suicides in north and west Cumbria this week.

Members of Cumberland Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee met on Thursday (November 7) at the Civic Centre in the city centre.

They considered a report – Developing a Strategic Action Plan for Suicide Prevention – which outlines the progress made by officers so far.

Georgina Ternent, the council’s public health manager, told members that the subject of suicide was complex, and the language used had to be carefully chosen. She said: “People do not commit suicide, because it’s not a crime, people die by suicide or take their own lives.”

She said that targets for the reduction in suicides could not be put in place but that the ultimate aim of the plan was to reduce the number. “We can do what we can,” she added.

Councillor Lisa Brown (Currock, Labour), the adults and community health portfolio holder, said that the aimed to put health and wellbeing at the heart of everything it did and added: “This is one of the reasons [for that].”

She said there were no targets but that the ultimate aim was zero suicides and added: “It is the most important thing we do as a council.”

According to the latest data which was released in August 2024:

  • The rate England (2021 – 2023) was 10.7 per 100,000 population;
  • The North East rate was 13.8 per 100,000 population;
  • The North West rate was 13.3 per 100,000 population and;
  • The Cumberland rate was 19.0 per 100,000 population which was the highest in the North West, second highest in the North East (Darlington 19.6) and the fourth highest in England (West Devon 20.5 and Lincoln 20.1).

The report states: “In Cumbria, data from our near real time alert system, local data, shows that 303 people have died by suspected suicide between January 2020 and December 2023 and 56 percent of those deaths were in Cumberland (local data).

“Every one of those deaths is a tragedy. They are also a shocking reminder of the need to continue to improve suicide prevention action not only for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, for those who live with suicidal thoughts.”

Councillor Andrew Semple (Cockermouth South, Labour) said he was astonished that Copeland had the highest suicide rate and added: “We should just do all we can [to reduce it].”

Councillor Martin Harris (Dearham and Broughton, Labour) said that young people were one of the groups at risk of suicide but said that they also needed to look at what was effective for older groups as well.

In addition, he said that the rates in Cumbria could be higher than the national average because parts of the county were quite remote, people could be isolated by working in agricultural jobs and there was more access to firearms such as shotguns.

Ms Ternant said that the vast majority of people took their own lives at home and deaths from firearms was very rare.

Colin Cox, the council’s director of public health and communities, added that it was the same pattern nationally.

Councillor Carni McCarron-Holmes (Maryport North, Labour) said that in Maryport suicides among young people was the result of substance misuse and added: “There’s a lot of it going on.”

Ms Ternant said there was an overlap between drug related deaths and death by suspected suicide.

Councillor Helen Davison (Belah, Green Party) said she was sure she had missed the signs where people went on to take their own lives and wondered if it was possible to provide suicide awareness training?

Ms Ternant said that the plan proposed that they adopt the Suicide Prevention and Postvention Policy and Practice, and promote externally within Cumbrian communities and networks.

Councillor John Mallinson (Houghton and Irthington, Conservative) welcomed the work, which was carried out by Liverpool John Moores University, and he said it was important because the Cumberland rates were “astronomical”.