There are growing concerns about the impact an increasing level of public intimidation and toxicity of debate is having on our country’s democratic processes, particularly at a local level.
Across the UK, there are growing concerns about the impact an increasing level of public intimidation and toxicity of debate is having on our country’s democratic processes. In response, the LGA is working closely with WLGA, COSLA and NILGA to coordinate a programme of work entitled ‘civility in public life’.
In October 2025, the leaders of those groups came together to issue a joint statement on the importance of civility in public life. The four nations stand united in tackling abusive behaviour, countering disinformation, and supporting councils and councillors so they can continue to serve their communities with confidence and dignity.
The civility in public life programme is primarily aimed at:
- articulating good standards for anyone engaging in public and political discourse
- understand the scale and impact of intimidation and abusive behaviour on our membership organisations, and develop recommendations for achieving positive debate and public decision-making on a local level
- to support our members and all democratically elected local representatives in addressing intimidation and abuse, so they deliver the best on behalf of their communities
You can read more about this programme of work in our civility in public life programme report and access our various guides for councillors and officers and report through the links below.
Highlighted pages
Debate Not Hate
Debating and disagreeing with one another is a healthy part of democracy, but abuse and intimidation crosses the line into dangerous territory. The right engagement matters.
Civility in public life report
Increasing intimidation of politicians and increasing toxicity of public debate is having an impact on the democracy of our country.