The Local Government Association (LGA) has welcomed news that councillors will for the first time have a named police contact to help with security issues.
The Government has committed £31m to improve security provisions for all locally elected representatives over the next year and to ‘protect the UK’s democratic processes from disruption’.
The funding will also be used to increase private sector security provisions for those facing a higher risk and to expand cyber security advice.
Home secretary James Cleverly said: ‘The Government will take every possible step to safeguard the people, processes and institutions upon which our democracy relies.’
The chair of the LGA’s civility in public life steering group, Marianne Overton, said the LGA was pleased that the Government had taken steps that the association had long called for.
She said it was ‘profoundly disturbing’ to hear of councillors being harassed and intimidated, and urged the Government to also end the legal obligation for a council to publish a councillor’s home address.
