1 November 2024In August 2024, the Local Government Association (LGA) conducted an online survey with councillors across England and Wales to examine the levels of abuse or intimidation faced due to their role as councillors. This survey builds on the 2023 Debate Not Hate survey, which assessed changes in abuse and intimidation trends since the 2022 Councillors’ Census.
The 2024 survey received 1,734 responses, resulting in a 10% response rate—an improvement over the 5% response rate in 2023. Respondents included councillors from diverse political backgrounds and varying levels of experience.
Of those surveyed, 73% reported experiencing abuse or intimidation in the past year. The survey also highlighted that 14% of responses came from town councillors and 9% from parish or community councillors.
