A HALTON councillor has made a plea to end period poverty in the borough.

At a full council meeting on Wednesday night, Norton North councillor Lauren Cassidy gave a moving speech on the desperate need to support young girls in Halton who are unable to afford sanitary products.

Presenting stark facts on issue, the councillor  said 137,000 girls in the UK were missing school during their period because they could not access what they need.

She said that while Britain had the sixth largest economy in the world, one in ten girls could not afford sanitary products, while 12% were forced to improvise using socks and tissue.

Leading a motion to end period poverty, Cllr Cassidy said: “This is 21st century Britain, a Britain where people are struggling to afford sanitary products.

“When you use a public toilet, we expect toilet paper to be provided. So why is it that access to sanitary products is any different.”

The councillor said she had been organising collections of sanitary products in the borough to help end period poverty locally.

She said that while there had been a generous response from residents, she was 'appalled' that such a campaign even needed to take place.

The Labour councillor said: “The fight to tackle period poverty will continue as it must. but the fight to ensure period dignity will not end with charity.

“We have to have a stable solution, and to do that we must demand action from the government to scrap VAT on sanitary products.

“Period poverty isn’t just a problem for women, it’s a problem for our society.

“It’s a problem for every teacher who has to help a school girl every day because she can’t access sanitary products.

“It’s a problem that affects every organisation where staff miss work because they can’t afford to access sanitary products.

“it’s a problem for every GP and hospital that treat the effect of unhygienic substitutes being used.

“It’s a problem that we simply cannot ignore.”

Supporting the motions, councillors pledged not only to campaign for the Government to scrap the controversial tax on sanitary products but to step up their campaigning against period poverty in the borough.