Cheshire East Council has voted in favour of implementing anti-abuse, intimidation and harassment measures following a councillor survey.

Members of the council’s corporate policy committee voted ‘unanimously’ to approve the set of recommendations, one of which involves establishing a ‘formal reporting process’ to help protect councillors against abuse.

The vote comes after the results of a council survey, in which 13% of councillors confirmed they experience ‘abuse, intimidation or harassment’ frequently, and roughly a third of councillors revealed they had contemplated resignation due to their experiences.

Tackling ‘Unacceptable’ Conduct

In the report, Cllr Fiona Wilson, chair of the review’s task and finish group, said: ‘Unacceptable behaviours directed at councillors are becoming increasingly common, undermining democratic engagement and, in some cases, threatening the safety and wellbeing of those who serve their communities.

‘Female councillors are significantly more likely to feel at risk ‘frequently or occasionally’ (41%) compared with male councillors (4%). And levels of abuse, intimidation of harassment appear to be increasing.’

According to the survey, councillors reported that incidents occurred most via social media (82%), in person (62%) and over email (51%), and included cases of stalking, physical assault and being sent ‘malicious or dangerous items’.

The Safety Strategy

Among its recommendations, the report advised devising a ‘comprehensive councillor safety protocol’, introducing specialised conflict prevention and wellbeing training, as well as designating a ‘nominated officer’ and ‘member champion’ to support safety standards for councillors.

Cllr Wilson said: ‘Our work was driven by a clear aim: to understand the scale and nature of the problem and to identify practical, meaningful steps to support and protect our members.’

Alongside the approved actions, the council has pledged to ‘reaffirm its commitment to the Local Government Association’s ‘Debate Not Hate’ public statement’.

Emphasising the local authority’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach towards abuse, Cllr Wilson highlighted that the council has also been working alongside the police and crime commissioner to help manage incident reporting.

A ‘Welcome’ Decision

In a joint statement, Cheshire East council leaders Cllr Nick Mannion and Cllr Michael Gorman said: ‘Councillors are local leaders and champions, bridging the gap between residents and local government. Becoming and serving as a councillor is a massive privilege and responsibility – but it also means councillors are very visible, often easily accessible to residents and all too often receive appalling abuse.

‘We welcome this report and the necessary steps to protect our democratically elected members from abuse, harassment and intimidation. We need debate, not hate – and a kinder public discourse.’