Councillors have hit back at bullies who target them with ‘orchestrated campaigns’ of abuse, warning they have a right to stand up for themselves.
The comments came at the latest Stockport council cabinet meeting, as members discussed the 2020-21 annual report into complaints about councillors’ conduct.
A total of seven complaints were made to the authority’s monitoring officer, with four being upheld or partially upheld.
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But Councillor David Sedgwick said it was also important to take into account the ‘unacceptable’ behaviour elected members were sometimes subjected to.
He told the meeting how the recent controversy over Active Neighbourhood trials had resulted in threats being made to several councillors, while another was ‘accosted in the street at’ the weekend.
Coun Sedgwick added that one colleague had to remove their address from the council website, while he had been warned ‘we know where you live’.
“I think the way in which a very small minority of the public feels it’s acceptable to speak to councillors has got to a point where we have to consider that in the context of this report,” he said.
“Elected members have the right to stand up for themselves in that context against people who, in many cases, are leading quite orchestrated campaigns to bully their way to get what they want - or what they are against, in that case.
“I don’t think that’s acceptable.”
Coun Sedgwick, cabinet member for citizen focus and engagement, stressed it was only a ‘minority’ of people causing problems.
But he added: “I do think as well, we need to consider that tactics have been used to cajole and in some cases bully elected representatives.”
His views met with the ‘wholehearted’ agreement of Coun David Meller, who told the meeting of his own unpleasant recent experiences.
He said: “In my patch there was a proposal for an Active Neighbourhood trial and the abuse I received off the back of that was probably the worst two weeks I have had on the council, in terms of the comments that were sent to me and what was said about me.
“It was absolutely appalling. I appreciate being on the council you have to have a thick backside, but that doesn’t mean as a councillor you should have to receive abuse.”
The cabinet member for economy regeneration said respect between councillors and the public had to go ‘both ways’.
“We are decision makers here, and at times we have to make tough decisions - decisions that may not be universally popular,” he added.
“There’s a risk people could be bullied into making poor decisions - very poor decisions - and not being able to defend themselves at risk of having a complaint put in against them.”
Turning to the issue of social media, Coun Meller said elected members clearly needed to be careful when engaging with people online.
“At times it can be a case of heart over head, I’ve probably done it a couple of times myself and no doubt I will in the future,” he said.
“But at times if you are put into a position where you are being piled on with messages and comments and what-not, we are only human for God’s sake.”
Stockport council’s cabinet met at the town hall on Tuesday night (September 21).
