Safety concerns have been raised by some Trafford councillors who no longer want their home addresses to be publicly available online.
One councillor, who has stood on the authority for decades, shared his experience of having an explosive device thrown at his property after he made a licensing decision that some members of the public didn’t agree with.
The typical council practice of publishing councillors’ addresses and other contact details on the authority’s website is done up and down the country, but it’s now being challenged.
At a council standards committee meeting last night, the issue was raised and discussed to see if a change in policy was necessary.
Coun John Holden, chairing the meeting, said: “We are in an environment in which this has become more sensitive than it probably has been in the past.
“I have an opinion that we should have the facility, should we desire it, to have our addresses published in council documentation. I have to say that’s because I don’t feel threatened at all. I’m an ageing white male and over my life I’ve been deemed to be a risk by everybody. So I’m probably a little more casual than others.
“I’d like to hear opinions and put those opinions on record about how we feel about the publication of information that identifies the place where we live.”
Coun Shona Gilbert, Labour representative for Ashton on Mersey, voiced her real concern over the practice and the risk it posed to those working in public office.
She said: “I have quite a different opinion, I would very much like my address to not be accessible in two clicks as I googled myself earlier and found the address within a matter of seconds.
“I just think in the light of events in recent years, albeit for Members of Parliament, that we’re not a million miles away. I would much prefer for our address to be stated as the town hall.
“We’re very accessible in other ways, and I don’t believe there is a real need for our addresses to be published. I can’t think of a single reason why that might be appropriate.
“Having canvassed my Labour colleagues who were elected with me in May this year, they were very much of the same opinion. I have to say, it almost stopped me standing. It made me think twice about standing, having two young daughters at home. It’s certainly a safety concern for me.”
There is an option for prospective councillors not to list their home address on the ballot papers when standing in local elections.
Coun Holden explained the decision to not publish or publish a councillor’s address will be up to them, and won’t be compulsory either way.
He added: “There will be people with strong opinions either way. I will personally continue to publish my address. I had an incident, a bit of light entertainment really, when a couple of drunks turned up at my door with issues and complaints on a Saturday afternoon. But I can see how others might find that threatening, rather than the way I took it at the time.
“I accept, and think everyone should accept the argument that there should be the option.”
Coun Patrick Myers, Conservative representative for Hale Barns, recounted his experience of what having your address publicly available can entail.
He said: “Some twenty years ago, following my appearance on the licensing panel, hearing someone’s application for a license, the same evening a device was thrown at my house which blew a hole in our drive.
“Luckily it didn’t do any further damage but the police were pretty sure the two things were connected. But it couldn’t be proven. So I would be very much in favour of not publishing that information, or at least making it too easy for people to find that information.”
Another councillor added: “It’s really a case of the law not catching up with technology quickly enough.
“There are strange people that are out there that do actually want to know these things, maybe for reasonable reasons, but for some it will be for unreasonable reasons and it is far too easy for those people to get to them.”
Council officers tabled three options; doing nothing about the issue, a blanket ban on any councillors’ addressing being published or a middle ground.
Calls for an all councillor consultation on the issue were made. It is understood the issue will now be taken away and escalated to Trafford council’s executive.
