Suicide rate in Blackpool has fallen

The charity Samaritans said the reduction in registered suicides is encouraging, but said that “one death by suicide is still one too many”.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 51 suicides in Blackpool between 2015 and 2017, at a rate of 14 deaths per 100,000 people.

Local rates are measured over a three-year period. Between 2012 and 2014, there were 17 suicides registered per 100,000 people.

The rate over the last three years was lower than that across the North West as a whole, where 10.4 suicides were registered per 100,000 people. Last year, there were 16 suicides in Blackpool, the lowest number recorded since 2011.

Of 5,821 suicides registered last year 4,382 were men, a rate of 15.5 deaths per 100,000 men. However, the male suicide rate was at its lowest level on record in 2017.

Overall, there were 10.1 suicides per 100,000 people in the UK last year. Samaritans said efforts to reduce stigma around male mental health may have contributed to the reduction, but added that men are still three times more likely to take their own lives than women.