Forest of Dean councillor considered quitting over trolls

Councillor Gwilliam said he had faced a "barrage" of online abuse recently

A council leader says online abuse is driving people out of politics.

Tim Gwilliam, who heads up Forest of Dean District Council, says he considered quitting after his family saw insults aimed at him.

He said he contacted police about abuse he was receiving earlier this year

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he expected social media companies to take action against online trolls before new legislation aimed at stopping online hate is debated later this year.

Mr Gwilliam, who has spent a decade as a councillor, said the hardest part for him was when his sons saw abuse aimed at him.

Heart attack comment

"For me the trigger was when my family started getting affected by it," he said.

"I was getting comments like 'Oh it sounds as if he's having a stroke' and 'be better if he had a heart attack and he'd have to pack it in then'.

"My boys see that, people point it out to them."

• Why do people troll?

Councillor Paul Hiett, Mr Gwilliam's deputy, said the prospect of being abused online was stopping younger people entering politics.

"We had a 19-year-old candidate at the last election who has since said 'there's no way I'm going to put myself forward again'," said Mr Hiett.

"The fact that someone of that age says they're not willing to put themselves forward, that speaks volumes."

'Action now'

The government's Online Safety Bill is due to be put before parliament before the end of the year.

Oliver Dowden, secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said he hoped social media companies would not wait for the law to change.

A new bill aimed at countering online abuse will be put before MPs later this year

"I expect social media companies to take action now. They can see the movement that's going on, they can see the direction we're going in," he said.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate said it recommended people block people who targeted them, switch off notifications on their devices and report potentially criminal abuse to the police.

Mr Gwilliam, a former Labour councillor now a Progressive Independent, said he has decided to stay on the council despite his experience.

"That [earlier this year] was the time when I genuinely asked if what I was trying to do was worth it," he said.

"But it is, and that's why I'm still here now."