Agenda item

Report of the Director of Law and Governance

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Law and Governance which indicated that in July 2023, the Local Government Association (LGA)  issued a publication called “Debate Not Hate: Ending Abuse in Public Life for Councillors” which outlines how Councils can better support Councillors to prevent and handle abuse. External consultants worked with Councils and relevant partners to inform the report, which includes principles for Councils to consider, top tips and good practice case studies. The key findings of this report were reported to Ethics Committee on 28th September 2023 (Minute 14/23 refers).

Further to that report, a self-assessment toolkit has been developed by the LGA to support the work within Councils to address abuse of Councillors. The toolkit acknowledges the distinct roles and responsibilities held by Councillors, Councils and police in addressing instances of abuse and intimidation. It is crucial to acknowledge and understand the diverse spheres of influence within which each entity operates and that there are limitations in their ability to address certain issues alone. By understanding their unique sphere of influence and collaborating with other stakeholders, Councils can work towards meaningful solutions for many of these challenges. As such, this toolkit is designed to be realistic and flexible in its implementation.

The toolkit was developed by a specialist abuse and harm reduction consultancy organisation, who worked closely with the LGA, a sounding group of Council officers and consulted with several national police colleagues. The toolkit is structured around the five principles outlined in the “Debate Not Hate: Ending Abuse in Public Life for Councillors” report, offering a practical approach to implementing these principles.

The five principles are as follows:

1.  Creating supportive and informed spaces

2.  Creating a risk-led approach

3.  Creating an infrastructure

4.  Creating new connections

5.  Creating a culture of safety and respect

An initial assessment of the tool kit has been completed and a summary of which, together with a subsequent forward plan for Coventry, was appended to the report with the intention of creating a baseline as a starting point for this work. The report indicated that the next step will be to gather feedback from Councillors as part of the self-assessment to further inform the forward plan.

Work already delivered which contributes to this work includes information provided on the Members intranet webpages in a section called “Well-being and your safety”, which sign-posts Members to where advice and support can be found. These webpages provide links to all of the LGA materials from the Debate Not Hate campaign, as well as support offered through the Council’s Occupational Health Service. These webpages also provide a link to the “Personal Safety Guidance for Elected Members” document, as well as how to deal with online abuse and how to report harassment and intimidation.

Other actions already in progress are linking with the police on Operation Ford to identify a single point of contact, as well as a programme of personal safety workshops delivered by the police for Councillors in the New Year.   A number of personal safety and awareness raising training sessions have been arranged for Councillors this municipal year, including one specifically on safety whilst election campaigning, and sessions delivered by the LGA on online abuse and harassment. 27 Councillors have accessed these sessions.

RESOLVED that the Ethics Committee:-

1)  Notes and welcomes the work undertaken by the Local Government Association (LGA) on their Debate Not Hate campaign, including the self-assessment tool

2)  Notes and endorses the initial self-assessment and subsequent forward plan as appended to the report