Council passes motion to clamp down on abuse

A motion on fighting intimidation has been approved by a local authority after a councillor spoke of the "horrendous abuse" he had received.

East Suffolk Council unanimously approved proposals to crack down on the abuse and intimidation of councillors and officers.

Labour councillor Alan Green said last month an anonymous person had accused him multiple times of money mismanagement, which had left him "feeling isolated".

"Hopefully the new system will assist everybody, including officers and everybody else", he added.

Council leader Caroline Topping, who represents the Greens, presented the motion.

She said: "It is clear and this council believes that intimidation and abuse of councillors undermines democracy.

"It hinders elected members from representing their communities, deters people from standing for election and undermines public confidence in the democratic process.

"It is fundamentally wrong on a human level."

The council's proposals include writing a letter to local MPs and the government asking for support for the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Debate Not Hate campaign and implementing a plan to combat the abuse of council members, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

They will also include the creation of a clear reporting mechanism for councillors and officers in partnership with police, a review of the support and training available, and taking a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.

Conservative councillor Jenny Ceresa said it was sad that action was needed.

"When you have a young family, it is dangerous - you don’t want to put yourself in that position and want to protect your loved ones."

Liberal Democrat councillor Seamus Bennett said it was also about setting "the right example" and to be respectful and appropriate.

"It’s not just about the public but also how we interact with each other across our political divides."

Labour councillor George King said: "This is the era we live in and with social media, it’s going to get worse."

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.