East Suffolk Council action on abusive posts online

Alan Green got up during Wednesday evening’s full meeting at East Suffolk Council to support proposals to crack down on the abuse and intimidation of councillors and officers.

He described what he called two days of "horrendous abuse" last month which saw a person accuse him multiple times of money mismanagement under an anonymous pseudonym, leaving him "feeling isolated".

Mr Green added: “The fact that it was anonymous means nobody could find out who it was — in hindsight, I should’ve just gone to the police.

“Hopefully the new system will assist everybody, including officers and everybody else.”

He also criticised social media owners who don't care about some of the abuse on their platforms.

The proposals included writing a letter to local MPs and the Government asking for support for the Local Government Association’s Debate Not Hate campaign and implementing a plan to combat the abuse of council members.

The council’s leader, Caroline Topping, who presented the motion, said many councillors could be reconsidering standing for election again due to abuse.

East Suffolk Council leader Caroline Topping (Image: ESC)

She added: “It is clear and this council believes that intimidation and abuse of councillors undermines democracy.

“It hinders elected members from representing their communities, deters people from standing for election and undermines public confidence in the democratic process.

“Like all such behaviour, it is also fundamentally wrong on a human level.”

The proposals also included the creation of a clear reporting mechanism for councillors and officers in partnership with local police, a review of the support and training available to them, and taking a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.

The motion received widespread support from councillors across the chamber, with a unanimous decision seeing it through voting.

There were, however, some caveats raised.

Councillor Seamus Bennett, for instance, stressed making sure councillor abuse was taken seriously, starting with the behaviour of those within the chamber.

Councillor Seamus Bennett (Image: Charlotte Bond)

He said: “I think we should always remember that if we set the right example here and speak respectfully and appropriately that is a good way to start.

“It’s not just about the public but also how we interact with each other across our political divides.”

Councillor George King also suggested more should be done to ensure there was support available, such as therapy, for councillors and officers.

He added: “I think it’s a societal problem, I don’t think it’s going to get much better. This is the era we live in and with social media, it’s going to get worse.

“If you do feel alone and isolated, the worst thing you can do is let it fester.”