Incidents of abuse towards Greater Manchester council workers have surged by 17% since 2022/23.

Council staff had reported 2,065 incidents by the end of March 2025, with research finding a substantial increase since the year 2022/23, during which 1,832 cases of abuse were recorded.

Data confirmed that a sum of 5,963 incidents at councils in Greater Manchester occurred between March 2022 and March 2025.

Among the areas with the highest rate of incidents between 2022 and 2025, Rochdale came first (1,931 cases), followed by Tameside Council (1,169 cases), despite the latter having protective strategies in place to support staff, according to research from injury claim firm Legal Expert.

While a range of teams were found to have experienced physical or verbal assaults, including admin and managerial staff, the data revealed that those working in schools were affected most significantly, with every nine in 10 incidents being encountered by teachers.

Multiple workers at Manchester City Council had also experienced racial abuse and sexual assault.

A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council said: ‘Council staff work extremely hard to deliver services under difficult circumstances and their safety and wellbeing is our highest priority. These figures underline the challenges faced by staff who deliver services for residents.

‘We take any form of abuse or assault against staff extremely seriously, with robust policies and measures in place to protect staff and encourage them to report any incidents.

‘Abuse of any kind is completely unacceptable and our employees should always be treated with respect, enabling them to carry out their roles safely and with confidence.’