Councillors tackle social media abuse in Bedfordshire
They are hoping new guidelines on how they should handle social media will reduce the impact
Central Bedfordshire Council has said they want to do something about the amount of online abuse directed at councillors.
The local authority wants to implement clear guidelines for councillors on how to conduct themselves online to help them face trolls- and reduce the amount of online abuse they’re getting.
Another goal is for them to try to work towards residents forming healthy debates, and they want to embrace the concept of being challenged over attacked.
Conservative Stotfold and Langford councillor Steve Dixons:
“We need to find an integral form of challenge and not attack, because challenge is healthy, attack isn’t.
“I think all of us here have been subjected to social media given and sent in a tone of assault."
“That’s what makes some councillors lives a misery. We can’t endorse that. It has to be challenged."
One of their aims it for there to be measures in place to deter people from thinking that abusing councillors on social media is an option.
“Consequences needs to be included in this. There was once a filter called a newspaper."
Additionally, the council is worried about how a large amount of abuse will reflect on the area and the work that they are doing.
Independent Linslade councillor Victoria Harvey:
“I thought that’s terrible if residents see the work we do in that respect."
“We risk losing really good people and officers to this council if it’s somehow seen as awful.
“What we need desperately nationally is how we have respectful debate and how we properly challenge, criticise and scrutinise while showing respect.”