Responding to the Government’s response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation, Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said:
“Online abuse, intimidation and threats try to undermine democratic decision making by generating fear in those who represent our communities.
“One of our most pressing concerns is the increasing incidents of intimidation and abuse of our elected representatives. These attacks risk the personal safety of councillors, undermine local democracy and can put off prospective candidates from standing.
“Plans to appoint Ofcom as an online harms regulator is a step in the right direction and we hope it will go some way to reducing abuse and intimidation of elected officials and all other users of online platforms, including children and vulnerable adults.
“Nobody should feel intimidated or scared and abuse online or offline should not be tolerated. We look forward to working with government to build a thriving digital economy that is trusted by and protects everyone in the UK.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
The LGA developed a ‘councillors’ guide to handling intimidation’ which you can view here – https://www.local.gov.uk/councillors-guide-handling-intimidation
The LGA is working with organisations across the UK and developed a programme of work entitled ‘civility in public life’ – https://www.local.gov.uk/civility-public-life
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