Cornwall Council votes for greater protection from abuse for members

Cornwall Council leaders acknowledge that abuse has put women off from standing for election

Cornwall Council has voted for greater protection against harassment, abuse and intimidation for elected members.

The motion, called Defending Democracy, was submitted for debate by Councillor Thalia Marrington and seconded by Councillor Karen Glasson.

The motion also points out that the abuse of councillors, especially females, has increased nationally.

It was approved unanimously on Tuesday at the council's first full meeting of 2024.

The motion called on the council to take a strong, clear and visible approach to tackling the issue.

Thalia Marrington said councillors' work should not result in the amount of aggression that it does

The debate comes after a survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) last year found the number of local councillors in England and Wales who reported feeling at risk in their role due to rising levels of abuse and intimidation had increased to a "new high".

Ms Marrington said: "When I got elected, I remember people were saying to me: 'You must be so strong.'

"At the time I thought it was a strange thing to say. But I have really realised that you do have to be strong... it should not elicit the amount of aggression that sometimes [it does]."

The motion received widespread support from across the chamber, with many councillors, including Councillor Barbara Ellenbroek, also highlighting the need for councillors to treat each other with respect.

The council's leader, Linda Taylor, has already acknowledged that abuse and harassment has put women off from standing for election and such unacceptable behaviour needed to be "called out".

She said such abuse had "been a growing problem in recent years".

She said: "There can be no place for treating people without respect, and if we want to encourage new people to come forward into public life, it is something that must be tackled."

Ms Taylor told councillors that she will meet with the police and crime commissioner and the chief constable to discuss a specific point of contact for the council.