A new Local Government Association survey of councillors has found that 52 per cent report that they have had untrue or misleading information about their political or personal conduct publicly published, with respondents warning of the “dangers to democracy”.
This report, released as councillors gather at the LGA’s Annual Conference, shows persistently high rates of reported abuse and intimidation, with seven in 10 councillors reporting experiencing these issues in the last 12 months and feeling personally at risk while fulfilling their councillor role.
One quarter of respondents said that they or someone closely connected to them had experienced a threat of violence or death, and 21 per cent of these had reported an incident to the police, showing the serious nature of these incidents.
The survey also found that, of those who said they had experienced abuse:
- 11 per cent reported they had had private information made public
- 64 per cent said they had experienced abuse online, including social media platforms, while 59 per cent said they’d experienced in person abuse.
- Eight per cent said they had a member of the public attend their home in an intimidating or inappropriate manner
- One in 20 reported being stalked by a member of the public
- One in 20 reported property damage, and three per cent experienced actual violence as part of their councillor role
Analysis of protected characteristic data showed that these experiences were by no means equal across all, and some councillors are more likely to experience abuse than others.
- 84 per cent of female respondents feel at risk when fulfilling their role as a councillor, compared to 66 per cent of male councillors
- 86 per cent of disabled councillors reported experiencing abuse or intimidation in the last 12 months, compared to 68 per cent of non-disabled councillors
- 34 per cent of LGBT+ councillors have reported an incident of abuse or intimidation to the police compared to 20 per cent of heterosexual councillors
- 84 per cent of councillors from an ethnic minority background feel at risk when fulfilling their role as a councillor, compared to 72 per cent of white respondents
In addition to being more likely to report experiencing abuse, risk and criminality, women and disabled councillors were more likely to cite abuse and intimidation as a factor in their decision not to run for election again.
Women who had decided not to stand for election again were more likely to cite possible abuse as a factor in their decision (32 per cent) compared to men (20 per cent). Similarly, 37 per cent of disabled councillors who said they wouldn’t stand again cited abuse as a factor compared to 22 per cent of non-disabled councillors.
While it is good that the Government has said it will act to improve councillor safety by removing the requirement for councillors to publish their home addresses, there is still no timescale for when this will happen.
Much more is needed to mitigate the personal and democratic impacts of abuse on councillors and local government, including greater consistency in policing, funding for security mitigations, and a review of the thresholds for police action against perpetrators.
Cllr Marianne Overton MBE, Chair of the LGA’s Civility in Public Life Steering Group, said:
“These results are distressing – people who are serving their communities should not be receiving this sort of treatment.
“That more than half are saying they’ve been subjected to misinformation around their personal and political conduct is worrying, and is having a corrosive impact on our democracy and councillors’ wellbeing.
“It is particularly worrying that people are more likely to experience abuse because of their identity. Local government works best when councils reflect the communities they represent.
“Councillors work hard for their communities, and keeping in close touch with and supporting all parts of their communities is very rewarding.
“We urgently ask government to work with us to combat the rise of abuse and threats of violence where councillors are at the sharp end of, and soon.”
Notes to Editors
72 per cent in 2025 of cllrs reported experiencing abuse in the last 12 months, compared to 73 per cent in 2024, and 73 per cent reported feeling personally at risk while fulfilling their councillor role in 2025 and 74 per cent in 2024.