Council launches bid to end period poverty in Wrexham

A group of councillors have launched a bid to tackle period poverty in Wrexham after sharing a series of ‘heartbreaking’ stories.

Carrier Harper, who represents the Queensway ward, is part of a cross-party group looking into the impact that a lack of free sanitary products can have on young school pupils.

The Plaid Cymru councillor said the group had heard of cases where girls in Wrexham are using items of clothing instead of sanitary wear because they can’t afford them.

It is estimated that one in ten girls in the UK have been unable to afford such products at some stage, and the authority has now launched a survey to find out how it can improve the situation for girls in the county.

Cllr Harper described period poverty as a ‘taboo subject’ but said she wanted to help people to start talking about the issue.

She said: “We’ve got too many young women and young girls across Wrexham county borough who aren’t in a position where they can afford to care for themselves properly during their period.

“Of course, there are consequences to this in terms of dignity, in terms of health, their hygiene and general wellbeing.

“We know as well that girls use items such as newspaper or toilet tissue or they’re having to rely on friends for handouts during their period.

“This should not be happening in 2018 and I think it’s really important, where women in particular are able to influence the political agenda, that we make sure issues like this are talked about, so we can improve the quality of life for young women and girls moving forward.”

The council has received a small amount of funding to provide female sanitary products across Wrexham schools.

The group are aiming to use the survey to consider what the authority can do to improve provision locally and make sure the money is spent in the right way. The findings will be reported to the lifelong learning scrutiny committee later this year.

You can fill in the survey online by visiting the Your Voice Wrexham website.

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme).