A Cumbrian councillor has been signed off from their civic duty as a result of abuse and intimidation from members of the public, it has been revealed.
Cumberland Council’s standards and governance committee were told that comments on social media had resulted in a councillor having to be signed off by their GP as unfit for authority duties.
A report to the committee said there were increasing levels of intimidation, harassment and abuse experienced by councillors in person and online.
It added: “Recent examples include three public meetings at which support was required from police and external security due to police intelligence and emails to councillors in advance of the meetings.”
According to the report this included email, telephone and face-to-face abuse received by councillors following the meetings.
The report was produced to update members on work being carried out to keep them safe by the authority, Local Government Association and police.
A Local Government Association survey of councillors carried out last year found that abuse and intimidation remained rife in public life, with seven in 10 responders experiencing these issues in the previous year and feeling personally at risk.
The results showed that:
- 11 per cent had had private information made public
- 64 per cent had experienced abuse online
- 59 per cent having experienced abuse in person
- 84 per cent of female responders reported feeling at risk while carrying out councillor duties, compared to 66% of male responders
- 84 per cent of councillors from an ethnic minority background felt at risk compared with 72 per cent of white respondents
- Women and disabled councillors were more likely to cite abuse and intimidation as a factor in their decision not to run for election again
