Social media

• Hackers use mayor's profile to make racist posts

  The mayor of Leeds has been forced to speak out after suffering a barrage of online abuse when hackers posted racist comments in her name.

  

• Brexit vote marked ‘high point’ of online abuse to MPs, research reveals

  An analysis over three months last year revealed 188,000 abusive tweets were sent to MPs, with Brexit marking a high point for online abuse.

  

• Tory councillor suspended after racist Eurovision tweet

  A Conservative councillor has been suspended following a racist tweet he made during the Eurovision song contest.

  

• PODCAST: True colours

  In a new podcast, Lord Porter charts his political journey from bolshie school kid to Conservative peer leading the Local Government Association.

  

• Snapchat recruited to help register young Scottish voters

  The Electoral Commission has partnered with Snapchat as part of a campaign to remind voters in Scotland to register for the council elections.

  

• Council puts crying face emojis on council tax bills

  A London Council has shocked residents after it included crying face emojis on an online council tax bill.

  

• Lindsay Lohan turns down Kettering BC’s proposal

  Heated negotiations between Kettering Borough Council and Hollywood star over Christmas plans have broken down, LocalGov is sorry to report.

  

• Grita Ora or Gritney Spears? Council invites new names for its gritting machine

  Oldham Council has been inundated with hilarious suggestions after it invited local children to name its new gritter.

  

• Exeter ranks No. 1 council on social media

  Exeter City Council beats the big metropolitan cities to the top spot of the social media charts.

  

• A day in the life of local government

  Thousands of local authority staff and councillors are taking part in a 24-hour tweetathon today, showcasing the diverse and varied work they do.