In May 2025, the LGA sent an online survey to all councillors in England and Wales to investigate the extent to which abuse and intimidation remains rife in public life, as well the nature and scale of abuse and intimidation. This research report provides the findings of the survey.
Background
In May 2025, the LGA launched the third edition of the annual Debate Not Hate survey. The survey was sent to all councillors in England and Wales to investigate the extent to which abuse and intimidation remains rife in public life, as well the nature and scale of abuse and intimidation.
The Debate Not Hate campaign was launched following the finding in the 2022 Councillors’ Census that seven in 10 councillors reported having experienced abuse or intimidation. Since 2023, the LGA has distributed an annual online survey to all councillors in England and Wales to investigate the extent to which abuse and intimidation remains rife in public life, as well the nature and scale of abuse and intimidation. Each year, more councillors are engaging with the campaign – the survey received 815 responses in 2023, rising to 1,734 responses in 2024, and a total of 1,861 councillors responded in 2025 – a response rate of 11 per cent. The responding councillors represented a wide cross-section of political affiliations and levels of experience.
This research report provides the findings of the survey.
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LGA
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