Local authority leaders have called for more action to be taken to ensure that councillors and candidates in local elections are not subjected to threats and abuse.
Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) Cllr James Jamieson said that ‘an increasing number of councillors and candidates are being subjected to abuse, threats and intimidation both online and in-person.’ He warned that this was a threat to free speech, democratic engagement and debate.
The LGA is calling for more evidence of abuse and intimidation of councillors across the country to improve the association’s understanding of the problem.
‘Abuse of public servants is never acceptable and poses a threat to democracy,’ said Cllr Jamieson.
‘We support the inclusion of a provision to ban anyone who has intimidated candidates, councillors and campaigners from standing for election or holding public office in the Elections Bill which is currently going through parliament. However, more may be needed to protect councillors and local democracy.
‘As well as highlighting our councillor Guide to Handling Intimidation, we continue to call for evidence of abuse and intimidation of councillors across the country to further understand the experience of councillors and to ensure robust measures can be taken to tackle this growing issue.’
