Calls for council to provide free sanitary products

Free sanitary products could be made available in Shropshire’s schools and public buildings under a new council policy being put forward by Shrewsbury and Atcham Labour Party.

To coincide with International Women’s Day on Monday, the party has announced that following the local elections in May it will be pushing for Shropshire Council to adopt the policy.

Costing in the region of £80,000 to £100,0000, the move would see free vending machines placed in toilet facilities in all public toilets, local authority offices, leisure facilities, secondary schools, colleges, and shopping centres.

All candidates standing for the party in the upcoming elections have committed to supporting the policy.

The group says the Covid pandemic has put the spotlight on period poverty, with charity Bloody Good Period, which provides free sanitary products to people who need them, reporting a huge increase in demand last year.

Research from Plan International UK found nearly a third of those surveyed between the ages of 14 to 21 had struggled to access or afford sanitary wear during the first lockdown.

A party spokesperson said: “Sanitary products are an essential item for over half of our population, and this motion aims to ensure that our party shows the people of Shropshire that we take gender equality seriously.

“To quote MSP Monica Lennon, ‘This is about changing our culture as well as the law’.”

North Ayrshire Council became the first in the country to implement a free sanitary products policy in 2018, with a cost estimate of £40,000, and recently a motion in the Scottish Parliament estimated cost for implementation in schools at an average of 11.4p per pupil.

The Labour group said that the cost to Shropshire could be even lower than it has predicted, due to the fact the county has an older population than the national average.

In some buildings, the use of ‘red boxes’, or open access boxes of products in toilet facilities, could even more cost-effective than the use of free vending machines.

The spokesperson added: “Although progress is being made towards reducing gender inequality in modern Britain there are still issues that need huge improvements. Access to sanitary products is one of these.

“There can be many barriers to accessing relevant products, such as affordability, availability and the appalling effects of domestic violence.

“This policy is a step in the right direction not only in combating this issue, but also in fighting the stigma that is so often attached to being able to openly talk about issues which directly affect the day to day lives of women across the UK.”