Council stopped using X due to 'daily abuse'

Devon County Council has about 52,000 followers on X, more than it has on any other individual social media platform it uses

Devon County Council (DCC) has defended a decision to distance itself from social media media platform X, citing daily abuse, disinformation and high costs.

The authority was responding to a question from independent councillor Jess Bailey, who asked why it had decided to stop using the platform and who made the decision.

It posted on 12 January it was "no longer active" on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the account would "no longer be monitored".

The BBC contacted X for comment but received an automated response.

'Not fit for purpose'

Andrew Saywell, cabinet member for organisational development, workforce and digital transformation, said the platform had become "a very toxic place with high levels of abuse and disinformation".

The council has about 52,000 followers on X, more than any other individual social media platform it uses.

Mr Saywell said DCC staff managing the account were faced with "daily abuse".

"The reporting system [of X] is not fit for purpose, as you can only get support with a paid subscription," he said in a written answer.

He said the cost of a paid X subscription was set at $2,000 (£1,529) for a basic subscription or $10,000 (£7,648) for full access.

"In the current financial climate, and with declining engagement, we felt unable to put resource into a platform we can't measure," he said.

The council said it would instead focus on its Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts, which have 34,000, 23,000 and 6,000 followers respectively.