Council commits £10,000 towards local mental health initiatives
West Oxfordshire District Council Executive have committed £10,000 to help fund mental health support for local residents.
Councillor Rachel Crouch, who is the Executive Member for Stronger, Health Communities along with being the Council’s Mental Health Champion said, “Mental health support for local people is very varied and we know many people across the district are not getting the support they need. We also know there are some fantastic local groups who are helping supplement the NHS services in the area.
“We have put aside this £10,000 to help fund local health support, however, while we want to help we know we are not the specialists in this area. Therefore we will be convening a summit in the coming months to bring together local specialists to better understand those front line services and discuss how we can best use this funding.
“While it may not be the largest amount in the scale of the NHS funding, we are hoping that putting this money in the right place can have a positive impact.”
The money has been allocated from the Council’s New Initiatives funding which has been put aside to help tackle local issues and improve the district. It builds upon the Council’s Westhive platform which helps fund local initiatives.
The Council will be convening a summit in its new community space at the Woodgreen Offices to bring together local specialists who can advise the council on how they can best support local services.
This builds on the wider work around mental health the Council has delivered including £60,000 in funding already committed for two mental health organisations in West Oxfordshire and the recent ‘Be Kind to Your Mind’ campaign that encouraged local residents to look after their mental health and provided advice and support.