Highland Council votes for a 'personal safety audit' after the May local elections amid rising concerns about attacks on elected representatives who are at 'inherent personal risk'
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Highland Council has agreed to a proposal for a “personal safety audit” for members after the May local elections – amid rising concern about attacks on elected officials.
Two councillors Councillors Pippa Hadley and Bill Lobban tabled the motion, which was agreed unanimously, amid greater awareness of what they call the “inherent personal risk” in doing their jobs.
During the debate Cllr Lobban stated that many councillors could be at more risk than MSPs or MPs as they are often more visible in their local communities.
It comes after Kingussie man Mark MacDonald approached Scottish Green Cllr Hadley “ranting at her” that she and other “Commie, leftist Green cows” should be put up against a wall and shot in an incident last October.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Inverness Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to threatening or abusive behaviour, acting in a racially aggravated manner and assault.
The pair's motion stated: “As a council we perform best when we have a broad and diverse representation elected to position, and with recognition of the need to ensure that the role is open to a broad a range of candidates for this role as possible to achieve this fair balance, resolves to address the personal safety issue on a timescale of delivery to work with the election of new members this coming May.
“Following the elections, council pledges to undertake a personal safety audit, with regard to the personal safety of the new elected members, and to taking an individual based approach to supporting/achieving this in a practical fashion – alongside delivery of an educational council wide programme giving information, practical advice and current best practice in both preventing and dealing with threat, plus to ensure a working communication system is in place and is connected to Police Scotland’s current system of high profile/vulnerable persons alert.”
MP David Amess was stabbed to death at his constituency surgery in October of last year and just over five years before that MP Jo Cox was killed at the height of the Brexit referendum campaign.
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