Exeter Council defends move to plant-based food

EXETER City Council will only serve plant-based goods at internal council meetings from May. The council made the decision in December 2022.

The response addresses the recommended review of the thresholds for staff sharing information with the families of students suffering from mental health, claiming “the University has been operating using the guidelines of a ‘trusted contact’ framework since 2020, taking a risk-based approach to determine when this is invoked, and allowing us to contact students’ families or guardians or trusted contacts in times of crisis.”

The University stated this process will be formalised over the current academic year updating terminology to include the term ‘trusted contact’ and updating risk policy. Rupert Armstrong Evans suggested that by acknowledging they needed to “update” their risk policy the University was admitting that their previous risk policy “was not consistent and robust” and that the University had not effectively adhered to the ‘trusted contact’ framework policy.

The report advised reviewing proactive responses to welfare concerns as a whole, specifically an over-reliance on emails. In response, the University states: “Students with acute mental health crises that indicate harm or self-harm are referred to statutory services for ongoing support. However, public services continue to be stretched and many students will not reach the threshold for ongoing support via the NHS […] we are seeking to further optimise our approach with all external partners to provide the best possible support to our students.” In response to this Alice Armstrong Evans called the University’s new welfare proposals “passive” and said that the University still needs to be much “more proactive” in how it supports students, criticising the lack of specific “hands-on” measures brought in by the University. be implemented, including through the introduction of a welfare tracker, a procedure through which voicemail messages can be stored, reminders to welfare staff to take caution responding to enquires, and a review of procedures in online training guides.

Charlie Gershinson News Editor

RESEARCHERS from the University of Exeter have contributed to a parliamentary briefing concerning the challenges which face those with invisible disabilities in education and work, such as a mental health condition or cognitive impairment.

University researchers Dr Daniel Derbyshire and Kirsten Whiting from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health — a unit of the University’s

Other concerns raised by coroner Guy Davies include the need to review whether pastoral tutors should exchange mobile phone numbers with students when there are concerns for their wellbeing, with the University stating they would not do this, and claiming this has “potential safeguarding implications, and severe impacts on colleagues wellbeing.” Rupert Armstrong Evans suggested these impacts could be mitigated by the University potentially providing personal tutors with a dedicated work phone which could take voicemail messages. Instead the University said it was expanding its out-of-hours provision to ensure emergency support was available, and that it was to review whether the current welfare case management system, which previously mishandled calls from Harry’s family, was fit for purpose. The response claims steps have been taken to minimise the issues associated with the current Case Management System before a new one can

A spokesperson for the University of Exeter said: “We are deeply saddened by Harry’s death and his family’s loss. We are grateful for the Coroner’s careful consideration of the circumstances of, and issues arising from, this tragedy. We addressed in detail the concerns that were raised in the Coroner’s letter, setting out the ways in which we are responding to each of these.

We are acutely aware of the current mental health challenges for young people. We have invested significantly in student welfare and wellbeing support in recent years and will continue to do so. Following the Coroner’s Inquest, we have undertaken a detailed review of the many ways in which we support student mental health and wellbeing, and we have introduced further enhancements across our University community.

These include developing additional structured training provision for staff, and investing in further out-of-hours support to ensure there is additional capacity within our trained team, who can proactively support students at their time of need. The team can be accessed directly by students, or by others who may be concerned for a student’s wellbeing.

We are also working with key exter- nal partners in order to ensure the best possible support to our students. Further work is taking place to agree data sharing policies with relevant key statutory organisations including GPs, NHS mental health care teams and the police. We are updating our policies, ensuring that the considered use of the ‘trusted contact’ is part of our support provision. We have undertaken a robust review of our Case Management System, which has seen additional mitigation measures installed, including a ‘welfare tracker’ to track case progress. We are also investing in an enhanced system this year. We have welcomed and support the recent Universities UK guidance on suicide prevention and we had already introduced a significant number of the recommendations prior to the outcome of the Inquest into Harry’s death. We will continue to engage with best practice in student mental health and wellbeing, which will remain our highest priority, and we will work with sector bodies and external partners to ensure our support is continually enhanced.”

Farmers and conservative MP for West Dorset Chris Loder oppose the decision. Conservative MP Chris Loder told the BBC that the decision was an “assault” on farmers throughout the Southwest. The British Farmers Union (BFU) said “We, the BFU, see this motion, in part, as being detrimental to the rights of an individual to choose a wholesome, balanced diet.” “We also see this motion as being detrimental to the livestock industry.”

The motion was put forward by Cllr Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Climate Change. In response to the climate crisis, Cllr Duncan Wood stated: “There are (a) number of small changes we can all make — one is what we eat. What we eat makes a difference.” Cllr Josie Parkhouse, Lead councillor for Leisure and Physical Activity, stated: “The science is clear, and we know that we need to start eating less meat as people, as a society and as a planet to help (the) future generation. This motion is not saying we should all go vegan overnight. It is saying that we should all cut down on our meat consumption for the sake of the planet.” The council also plans to ensure food at council facilities such as leisure centres, restaurants, and cafes have visible plant-based options.