DEATH threats, excrement posted through the letterbox, stalking, trolling and obscene phone calls – these are just some examples of the harassment experienced by Cheshire East councillors.
And while it’s definitely not true to say all have suffered such treatment, even some of those who said they received no abuse did qualify it with, ‘other than what you expect’.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) emailed all 82 councillors asking if they had been abused or harassed because they were a councillor and, if so, what form it took, whether the police had been involved and if they had even thought of quitting because of it.
We decided to look into this following the recent announcement from Macclesfield councillor James Barber (Lab) that he will not be seeking re-election because of the abuse he has suffered, mainly because of his age, and the news that police have been contacted because of hate mail sent to former mayor Sarah Pochin.
Police were also involved after Mobberley councillor Charlotte Leach (Con) was stalked on train journeys and then became targeted by an obscene caller and a troll, while High Legh councillor Kate Parkinson said she was too embarrassed to contact the authorities after she was threatened, grabbed and screamed at by a resident ‘because she was a Conservative’.
Some members of the public, it seems, think it’s acceptable to treat the local people elected to serve them in this way.
But what will happen to our democratic process if people are put off standing for election because of the vitriol and threats?
Willaston and Rope councillor Allen Gage intervened on behalf of residents who were experiencing harassment and ended up receiving death threats.
“I’ve had death threats, anonymous mail and emails, shouting in my face in the street in front of the public,” said the Conservative councillor, who did contact police about the death threats.
He told the LDRS there was ‘no chance’ he would be intimidated into quitting the council.
Congleton councillor Suzie Akers Smith (Ind) has also received a death threat – and said most of the abuse and threats she receives have mainly been linked to her work on emergency active travel measures.
“I received a death threat which unnerved me and stopped me cycling for a few weeks,” she said. “It is also putting people off from standing in the next election.”
She has also received abuse on social media and the police have been involved.
Cllr Nick Mannion (Lab) had excrement posted through his front door in a Jiffy bag addressed to him. He has no idea why.
He’s also been threatened with people telling him: ‘We know where you live, and what car you drive’.
And he’s been on the end of ‘false news’ and hateful posts smearing him and his family.
The Macclesfield councillor says he’s never considered quitting ‘but I fear that I may have to remove my home address from the council website and election material if the situation deteriorates further’.
Sandbach councillor Laura Crane said abuse and harassment ‘has been a regular occurrence since my election’.
She said mostly it was trolling and online abuse -although ‘one particular individual during lockdown made me feel unsafe in my own home; taking photos of my car parked outside my house and rooting through my bin’.
“There seems to be a general acceptance amongst the population that, by standing as a candidate or succeeding and becoming a councillor, you are fair game and no longer have any right to an opinion or the opportunity to make a mistake and learn from it,” said the Labour councillor.
“Abuse is thrown around without any evidence and, in fact, often in direct opposition to evidence presented to those throwing it. This is not all party political but seems to come from a general belief that councillors are not human and all are corrupt.”
Cllr Crane admitted she had regularly considered quitting because of the harassment but knew this was what these people wanted.
Macclesfield councillor Steve Carter (Lab) told the LDRS he has been the victim of abuse both in the council and via phone, email, social media and on the doorstep.
“This type of behaviour can be intimidating and threatening,” he said.
“It takes a hardy soul to stand as an elected representative in modern Britain. There are many in our society that believe that, as an elected representative, we are fair game for some appalling behaviour.”
For safety reasons, many councillors now campaign in groups.
Cllr Carter said: “We tend to canvass in groups to ensure that we are safe and we mark the electoral register with a symbol to show that a person has been abusive so that we don’t call on them again.”
Safety in numbers is also something the local Conservatives bear in mind when campaigning.
“The need to take protective measures does detract from what is usually a very rewarding job, but in the light of the tragic deaths of MPs Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, and what is happening closer to home, they are a sad necessity,” said Conservative group leader Janet Clowes.
She said she had been on the receiving of foul language and threatening behaviour a few times.
“I have had to change the ways I work whether delivering leaflets, campaigning or carrying out my ward work. I campaign only when friends and colleagues are available to join me and I do not visit residents alone unless I know them well,” she said.
Cllr Steve Edgar (Haslington) has suffered verbal abuse on the doorstep, anonymous phone calls and says lies have been spread online about him.
Police have been contacted and one individual has been cautioned.
The Conservative councillor said he had never considered quitting because of it.
“If you enter the public eye and expose yourself to this sort of thing it’s not unreasonable that some people will disagree with you and ‘have a go’,” he said.
He added he was ‘very thick skinned’ and 6’ 5” tall, which usually deterred face- to- face conflict.
“It must be far worse for our female councillors as the fear of what might happen is far worse,” said Cllr Edgar.
Cllr Laura Smith (Lab) told the LDRS she had to speak to security in Parliament and to local police about threats and abuse when she was the MP for Crewe & Nantwich.
“I have suffered a great deal of it in the past, including someone calling for my public hanging in Nantwich Square,” said the Crewe councillor.
“I have received plenty of abuse online ranging from misogynistic to violent, post through my old house address mailbox where I received political anonymous attacks, over the phone regularly when an MP and in the street when campaigning.
“The police were always linked in with me, and my house had high security installed as unfortunately we know how terribly things can end. On occasion I had to speak to the security team in Parliament and local police.”
But the Crewe councillors insists there is a need to differentiate between when it is abuse and when it is people holding you to account over political views and actions.
“If someone wishes to disagree, even in strong terms, then that is their right and as a public figure you are accountable,” she said.
“We need to be careful that whilst we do not tolerate abuse we do not stop accountability or accessibility of elected people.
“I was also threatened in my role as a teacher, working in hospitality and as a student. I know that many friends of mine experience abuse in their roles that are dealing with the public.”
Council leader Sam Corcoran (Lab) has been verbally abused, trolled and said a website was set up to launch personal attacks on him.
Police have been involved because of some of the incidents but the Sandbach councillor said they were contacted by others, not by him.
Cheshire East Mayor David Marren (Ind) has now installed cameras around his home.
He has received obscene hate mail in the past, been harassed on social media, his vehicle has been tampered with on his driveway and the police are currently involved in a harassment investigation.
Alsager councillor June Buckley (Lib Dem) is still unsure whether she will seek re-election again in May and says if she does stand down it will be because of the abuse she has received on social media.
“I’ve had four years on the council, it’s hard work, we have a lot of responsibility and I have loved doing it but I’ve just had enough of what is posted about me on social media,” she said.
“People put things on social media and they don’t think about the effect it could be having on the person they’re talking about. If the same thing was written in print in a newspaper, often they would be sued.”
Long-serving Crewe councillor Steve Hogben has received vexatious emails and, to a limited degree, some trolling on social media.
He has withdrawn from some social media groups because of harassment and added: “I know that some colleagues avoid any engagement at all online because of this, and because social media seem to encourage aggressive behaviour, especially Twitter.
“I have never needed to involve the police, but I know council members who have had to do so,” said the Labour councillor.
“I have never considered quitting or not seeking re-election because of harassment.”
Odd Rode councillor Liz Wardlaw told the LDRS “I have experienced minor episodes of intimidation and abuse and, what’s sad is that, until I started to think about it, I just accepted it as part of being a councillor.”
The above stories are just a few examples of some of the hostility shown to our local representatives – just for being councillors.
With the local elections creeping up on us fast, there is a fear that some potentially good candidates may never put themselves forward because they don’t have the stomach for the abuse they might encounter.
And we already know that some Cheshire East councillors won’t be seeking re-election after being targeted.
If this type of behaviour continues, what will it mean for our democratic process?
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