PROPOSALS to help end ‘period poverty’ among schoolgirls have been voted down by councillors.

A motion to consider measures to help girls who cannot afford tampons or pads was put forward before Worcestershire County Council on Thursday, January 18.

Cllr Ceri Stalker, who raised the issue, said: “A number of girls as young as 10 are missing school and therefore their education for around a week every time they have their period.

“Girls and women have no choice in this matter. It can be hard enough to come to terms with, without the indignity of being unable to afford appropriate protection.”

Cllr Richard Udall said providing girls with sanitary products is a “basic human right”.

He added: “Children as young as 10 are choosing to stay at home to avoid the embarrassment of bleeding on their school uniform in front of their peers.

“Period poverty is a worldwide problem. In Worcestershire it is silence that is preventing real progress from being made.”

Cllr Lucy Hodgson said evidence that this is an issue in Worcestershire was anecdotal, adding she found no “reliable local or national data to support an argument”.

But Bromsgrove cllr Chris Bloore argued: “We will never have the evidence, we will never have the statistics, until we start. We have to acknowledge that it could potentially be a problem in Worcestershire.”

Cllr Fran Oborski called on Worcestershire County Council to “take the lead” and tackle an “appalling taboo”, but the Conservative group pointed to a lack of data.

Cllr Marcus Hart said: “We have fully discussed and debated this motion and agreed it is not one we can support.

“We have absolutely no data whatsoever that the lack or indeed cost or high cost of products is affecting education attendance.”

The motion was voted down 37-14 with one abstention.