Abuse included death threat email - council leader

Leader of Babergh District Council, John Ward, told a meeting about the abuse he had received

A council leader has said he may not have taken the position if he had known how much abuse he would receive.

John Ward, leader of Babergh District Council in Suffolk, said he has had a death threat and someone tried to enter his house when his daughter was the only person in.

The Independent Conservative is asking the authority to sign up to a national campaign challenging the abuse and intimidation of councillors.

"I am now more resilient and I will not be intimidated into giving up the role of leader," he said.

According to the Local Government Association (LGA) about 70% of councillors have reported experiencing abuse or intimidation in the last year.

Its "Debate Not Hate" campaign hopes to raise awareness of the role of local councillors and encourage "healthy debate".

'Pretty nasty stuff'

Mr Ward said: "Around three years ago, I received an email which was effectively a death threat.

"Then, a couple of years ago, a convoy was sent to my home to protest [against] council plans to reduce free parking.

"My daughter was at home on her own. While the ringleader tried to jam his way into the house, she had to push the door from the inside.

"I’ve had some pretty nasty stuff directed at me online, too.

"If I had known the kind of hate that would be directed at me ahead of time, I might not have put myself forward to be leader. It would have made me think twice."

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The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Mr Ward would ask his council to sign up to the LGA's campaign this week.

The council leader said he hoped the campaign "will make some people sit back and think twice before they direct hate towards councillors".

"Those who direct abuse and intimidation towards councillors don’t seem to realise that we really care and want to get the right things done," he said.

"But quite often it is not easy and we are constrained by funding. Sometimes, we have to make compromises."