Oldham Council Sorry Over Breastfeeding Mum

Oldham Council has apologised to a mother from Shaw, who was told she couldn’t breastfeed her young son in the Access Oldham reception area of the Civic Centre.

Emma Mitchell told her story to the Oldham Chronicle, and it was published on Monday. You can read it online here.

In a statement published in the initial article, Cllr Shoab Akhtar, Cabinet member for Partnerships and Commissioning, said the open-plan layout of the Access Oldham area meant there weren’t any places where breastfeeding was appropriate.

However, in a new statement issued on Wednesday, Cllr Akhtar said the council would be apologising “unreservedly” to Ms Mitchell. He was quoted as saying: “Ms Mitchell’s disappointing experience has highlighted the need to make all our staff fully aware of our policy and our legal requirements. All staff will be trained in the coming days to ensure this never happens again.”

He continued: “As previously stated, Access Oldham does not have dedicated breastfeeding facilities available, however staff are now aware that they should make every reasonable effort to assist a mother’s need to breastfeed – whether she requests the use of a private room or otherwise.”

The rest of Cllr Akhtar’s statement can be read at the council website here.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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