Council signs up to ‘Debate not Hate’ campaign

Cheshire East Councillors have voted to support a campaign calling for a national action plan to address the abuse and intimidation of councillors and candidates.

Councillors debated a notice of motion at a meeting of full council on Wednesday 19 October 2022. It read: “This council supports the ‘Debate not Hate Campaign’, signs the public statement and calls for a government-convened working group to tackle this issue.”

The Local Government Association (LGA) launched the Debate not Hate campaign following publication of the report ‘Debate Not Hate: The impact of abuse on local democracy’ in June 2022. It aims to “raise public awareness of the role of councillors in their communities, encourage healthy debate and improve the responses and support for local politicians facing abuse and intimidation.”

In a joint statement, Cheshire East Council group leaders said: “The intimidation and abuse of councillors, in person or otherwise, undermines democracy. It can prevent elected members from representing the communities they serve, deter individuals from standing for election and undermine public trust in democratic processes.

“All political groups (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Independent), both at Cheshire East Council and within the wider LGA family, fully endorse the campaign and welcome the lead taken by the Local Government Association on this. It is a serious issue, affecting both national and local politics.  

“Nationally, we have seen the tragic murders of Members of Parliament Jo Cox MP and David Amess MP. Locally, we have also heard from members of Cheshire East Council with personal accounts of vile abuse and threats, suffered in the course of their public service. LGA research shows that seven in every 10 councillors are reporting increased threats of abuse or intimidation.

“As local councillors we are passionate about local services and outcomes for residents. Healthy and lively political debate is an essential part of our work to make difficult decisions about complex local issues. 

“And it is right that our decisions should be open to scrutiny and challenge. However, we should not tolerate abuse and intimidation in any form.”

Read the notice of motion in full, here. 

Learn more about the LGA’s Debate not Hate campaign.