Two concerned councils are continuing to join forces and work together with other organisations to help address rising worries about the number of ‘attempted suicides’ at three Chesterfield footbridges.
Derbyshire County Council and Chesterfield Borough Council have been in talks and the county council’s highways team has visited one of the locations of concern as part of the Derbyshire Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Partnership Forum and measures have been discussed and are being reviewed.
Chesterfield’s Loundsley Green and Newbold ward county councillor, Ed Fordham, asked county councillor, Charlotte Cupit, during a recent county council meeting what dialogue has taken place regarding the Chesterfield footbridges over the A61 to make them ‘less accessible for attempted suicide’?
Cllr Charlotte Cupit, Cabinet member for Highways and Assets, said: “I can confirm extensive dialogue has taken place between Derbyshire County Council, Chesterfield Borough Council as well as other relevant important agencies in relation to the sad issues of attempted suicides around footbridges in Chesterfield.
“Highways have been involved in recent multi-agency meetings as well as a site visit in this regard as part of the Derbyshire Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Partnership Forum.”
The prevention partnership is led by the county council’s Public Health department alongside its Highways department in relation to the structural components of the footbridges and includes Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire Police, the Samaritans, Derbyshire Healthcare Trust, Transport Police and The Tomorrow Project.
Cllr Fordham urged the county council to look at a plan for safety measures at the Chesterfield railway station to Corporation Street bridge which is in an area where Chesterfield Borough Council is currently undertaking multi-million pound regeneration work and it is one of three footbridges of concern.
He stated: “It just seems wrong to perpetuate a situation where we have a footbridge which is a known dark attraction point – from which I am aware of at least five attempts this year, some by children – and yet we are doing nothing, it seems, to actually make the bridge suicide proof.
“I understand the preventative work which the partnership deals with but there is an opportunity here with two major redevelopments, the keys held by the borough council, but you hold the key to making this solitary footbridge which is currently the focus for dark decisions to make it suicide proof and it appears that we are not going to take that action from what I think you have just said.”
Cllr Cupit said she would be happy to discuss these issues further and she was sure those who sit on the borough council’s regeneration boards will have noted what has been discussed.
In addition, Cllr Alex Dale, Cabinet member for Education, told how schools continue to play an active role in keeping youngsters safe and they follow Derbyshire Mental Health Pathway document guidance.
He added that Derbyshire County Council’s Public Health Service also offers a range of free training which is available and accessible to all school staff and specialist suicide bereavement support is provided by The Tomorrow Project.
Cllr Carol Hart, Cabinet member for Health and Communities, said on average there are about 100 deaths from suicide in Derbyshire and Derby City and most of the districts and boroughs are on the ‘national average’ but Derbyshire Dales is ‘worse’ than the average, with South Derbyshire ‘slightly better’, and all other areas are probably on the UK average.
She added that following a meeting in July led by the county council’s Public Health department a site visit did take place and it was agreed data monitoring would take place with the monitoring of media reporting and raising awareness.
It was also agreed to secure Samaritans’ signage, to engage with businesses and taxi drivers and to explore the possibility of CCTV use.
Cllr Hart said: “We will continue to go on to manage the data on suicide attempts and suicide interventions to help provide a fuller understanding of what is actually occurring. This would mean that preventative work can then be targeted more accurately and effectively.
“We continue to get the information and messages out as much as we can, including raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention at lots of local events including Chesterfield Pride, Chesterfield Football Club, BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) community events and via social media channels.”
Live Life Better Derbyshire which is funded by the county council is also being rolled out by the Derby Discretionary Fund and the Health and Wellbeing Teams to equip staff to manage conversations about emotional distress and suicidal ideation, according to Cllr Hart.
During the council meeting on October 9, Cllr Hart also agreed to contact the Chesterfield branch group of Survivors of Bereavement Through Suicide after she was urged to do so by Cllr Fordham who said there is talk of up to five more branches being set up in Derbyshire.
