MEMBERS of a town council debated whether to publish their personal details on a website after safety concerns were raised.
Andover Town Council’s Policy and Resources committee met on Thursday, November 1, with the issue brought to councillors after a member voiced worries about their details published on the authority’s website in light of incidents such as the murder of MP Jo Cox.
Legally, the clerk reminded the committee their financial, or pecuniary interests, must be published online such as homeowners’ addresses, and that personal details are asked for when a candidate stands for election.
Deputy mayor Councillor Mick Mumford said: “This town council is part of a democracy, if we start giving in to things like this we are allowing people to prevent us our democratic rights.”
Councillor Len Gates added: “I have received abusive telephone calls, that is part of living in a democratic state otherwise how are residents supposed to contact their councillors?”
A point was also made duty of care for councillors was needed, and so if a particular councillor feels there is a problem their details could be dealt with in an individually-tailored way.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here