Defending Democracy Taskforce: Councillors
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps (a) his department and (b) the Defending Democracy Taskforce is taking to tackle intimidation of councillors.
Answered by Alison McGovern
Councillors play a vital role in our democracy by stepping up to serve their communities. The Defending Democracy Taskforce (DDTF) is committed to ensuring that all elected representatives are able to fulfil their duties free from harassment and intimidation. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 removes the requirement for a local government member’s home address to be published in council registers of interest to ensure they feel safe in their own homes.
The DDTF is continually reviewing vulnerabilities in our democracy to identify gaps where our response can be strengthened, recent progress includes introducing legislation to protect the homes of all public office holders, strengthened guidance for police responding to incidents involving elected representatives, expanding the Operation Ford policing support for local councillors across the UK and the establishment of a Home Office funded Operation Ford Threat Assessment Centre, improving understanding of threats, including harassment, against locally elected representatives across the UK.
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