I hope my idea can actually make a difference to people, extend their lives and potentially even save them

It comes after a motion was raised by Green Group councillors at the latest authority-wide meeting of South Tyneside Council on the issue.

Councillor David Francis said it is his hope the motion “can actually make a difference to people’s lives, extend lives and potentially even save lives”.

He added he has “seen first hand the impact that not seeking help can have on people” and it is a subject “close to my heart” which “means a lot”.

The motion called for the council’s public health team, working with the health and wellbeing board, to consider how men’s health inequalities are addressed within existing strategies.

This includes suicide prevention, cancer screening uptake and cardiovascular health.

It asks relevant scrutiny committees to review how council-commissioned and partner-delivered services engage men, particularly those least likely to access traditional health services, and to identify opportunities to improve reach and effectiveness.

It will also see the leader of the council write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, calling for the development of a comprehensive national approach to men’s health screening and early intervention.

An amendment proposed by Councillor John Robertson, from The REAL Independent Councillors group, will see copies of the letter and any subsequent response included in future papers to full council.

The motion was approved by councillors at the meeting held at South Shields Town Hall earlier in January.

Cllr Francis, seconding the motion, highlighted how in South Tyneside men’s life expectancy is “lower than the national average and the gap between richest and poorest men is over 11 years”.

He argued that “austerity is cutting years of our lives” and the data “makes it very clear that poverty drives poor health outcomes”.

Cllr Francis said: “To me men’s health is a particular issue partly because of inequality but also because of rigid gender norms that are harmful to people of all genders.

“Those rigid gender norms have a harmful impact on men, and of course I include trans men in that as well.

“The motion seeks to do what we can at a local level, but if we’re serious about men’s health, we must be serious about inequality, we’ve got to tackle poverty, we’ve got to restore adequate local government funding so that there is money there for public health.”

Green Group representative Councillor Sue Stonehouse, in proposing the motion, said they need to “improve access” to health support services for men and also work to “reduce the stigma”.

She highlighted how South Tyneside has “poorer health and wellbeing compared to the rest of England” and that a “big reason for this is the high levels of poverty and deprivation”.

She added: “Something is going wrong here, we need to look into this.

“People need to talk, South Tyneside Council needs additional funding from the government to sustain public health.”

The motion also saw the council welcome the government’s intention to develop a national men’s health strategy and commit to ensuring South Tyneside Council engages constructively with any call for evidence.

Additionally the council will encourage the continued use and promotion of proven, low-barrier and community-based approaches in council communications, including informal settings and peer support, to improve men’s mental wellbeing, physical health and social connection.

This includes the likes of Andy’s Man Club and the Red Bench Project, which were both praised by councillors at the meeting.

Finally the motion will see the council ensure that relevant strategies and services are gender-informed, recognising that equality requires addressing different barriers to access and outcomes.

Labour’s Councillor Ken Dawes said he too would “love to see a national strategy on men’s health”.

He added: “For whatever reason it has been left for a number of years and I just think it’s so important.

“It’s about trying to improve not just public health and screening, particularly cancer screening, but a very important word here is mental health. Mental health is very important to each and every one of us.”

Councillor Jim Yare, South Tyneside Alliance Group representative, said any steps they can take as a council to improve men’s health outcomes generally, and with particular reference to mental health, have his “full support”.