Councillors condemn abuse and pledge a ‘clean’ election fight

“After being named community champion, to then receive a letter calling me this. It is not nice and it does hurt.”

Blackwood councillor Kevin Etheridge was taken aback by the abusive letter sent to the Independent Group which he leads.

The author of the letter described Cllr Kevin Etheridge and Cllr Graham Simmonds as “violent scum” and said “the Independents are liars”.

Cllr Etheridge has contacted the police and is hoping they will investigate the matter.

The letter also contained comments about the councillors’ wives and racist remarks.

In December 2021, Cllr Etheridge was awarded the Community Champion award at the The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and Churches, Charities and Local Authorities (CCLA) 2021 Councillor Awards.

Cllr Etheridge said he was concerned such abuse would put people off standing in the council elections in May.

He added: “This is not about politics, this is about common decency and treating people with respect.

“All the people who care about the community are going to be thinking about whether standing is a good idea.”

“Toxic culture”

Deputy Leader of the council, Cllr Jamie Pritchard, has previously spoken about the “toxic” culture of online abuse targeted at councillors.

Cllr Pritchard, who represents the Morgan Jones ward, said: “It doesn’t matter if you are Labour, Conservative or from any other party – this abuse is happening across the board.”

On Thursday, January 13, Cllr Etheridge contacted Cllr Philippa Marden and Cllr Colin Mann to address the issue. The trio have released a joint statement condemning the abuse faced by councillors.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Independent Groups of Caerphilly County Borough Council stood together to “call for an end to abuse, intimidation and harassment of any kind”.

The statement from Cllr Marsden, Cllr Mann and Cllr Etheridge, said: “Unfortunately, we are seeing an increasing number of councillors and candidates being subjected to abuse, threats and intimidation. As well as being totally unacceptable, this behaviour undermines the principles of free speech, democratic engagement and debate.

“This is particularly relevant as we enter the key period in the run up to the local government elections in May. We pledge to participate in a fair election campaign which is based on positive campaigning and merit, rather than personal attacks and smears against individuals.

“We encourage all elected members and candidates in the forthcoming election to do the same. In addition, we will publicly ‘call out’ any such inappropriate behaviour and take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.

“We all have the right to carry out our civic duties without fear of being attacked or abused. Any inappropriate behaviour, whether that be verbal, physical or in writing on social media, is totally unacceptable and action will be taken if deemed necessary.

“Please be kind and fair in all that you say and do.”