At The Jo Cox Foundation, we believe that abuse and intimidation of elected politicians is one of the biggest threats to democracy in the UK.
The LGA’s fantastic Debate Not Hate campaign and information gathered through its 2022 councillors’ census show it’s not an issue that’s limited just to national politicians.
We know that it’s impacting many of you on a day-to-day basis and that it’s causing some of you to question whether you want to continue in your roles.
We’re also hearing that the increasing levels of abuse are having an effect on the pipeline of people choosing to put themselves forward for political office.
The impact is also seen when those currently in office choose not to speak out about specific issues because of the levels of abuse that follow.
You have told us that some topics – particularly those related to traffic or licensing – can lead to increased and dangerous levels of threats.
We also know that this issue doesn’t affect everyone equally. Evidence shows that women, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with a disability and LGBTQ+ politicians receive a disproportionate amount of abuse.
That’s why The Jo Cox Foundation is determined to bring about change on this issue.
Jo was passionate about supporting other women into politics, and a fierce advocate for a 50/50 Parliament.
We believe that while this culture of abuse persists, we are not going to be able to achieve a representative democracy, as too many people will be put off participating.
Addressing abuse and intimidation is extremely complex, with action needed across various sectors, including social media, policing and political parties.
It has often been put on the ‘too difficult’ pile. But Jo didn’t believe in ‘too difficult’. That is why the foundation launched the Jo Cox Civility Commission in February to gather practical, implementable solutions to address the problem.
During the first phase, which runs until the summer, we’re asking experts from various sectors, and people with lived experience of abuse, to share potential solutions. We anticipate that some approaches will be easily implemented in the short term, but that some solutions will require more time.
An example of something that will require a long-term solution is an issue with political education; we’ve been hearing from many quarters that often abuse is a result of people not understanding who should be approached to deal with their specific issue or concern.
Once the consultation period is concluded, we’ll put forward a set of recommendations to bring about change.
With our commission co-chairs –Baroness Bertin and Lord Coaker – we’ll advocate for those recommendations to be implemented. We are determined that this isn’t going to be another report that sits on a shelf.
The more people we hear from, the more robust our final recommendations will be. We welcome responses from as many serving local politicians as possible.
The best way to share your thoughts is via our online submission.