'We can't expect the public to show respect if we don't': Chorley councillors get social media advice

The authority unanimously approved the revised protocol at a recent meeting of the full council.

It followed a review of its social media guidelines undertaken by the cross-party governance committee.  That found that there was “inconsistent” use of social platforms by Chorley councillors - both in terms of the content they post and their willingness to be active on social media at all.   

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Some of the authority’s members were thought to be wary of being accused of misuse of such accounts and so steered clear of them altogether. 

The refreshed advice lists a series of ‘dos and don’ts’ for councillors when it comes to engaging on social media.

These include “not post[ing] comments that I would not be prepared to make face to face”; “not distribut[ing] any material which could be considered inappropriate [or] offensive”; and “not let[ting] any political debate with other politicians to degenerate into personal attacks”.

Members are warned to keep any criticism of their political opponents focused on “policy differences” - and generally to maintain a “positive” approach, which is deemed more likely to win support for their cause than negativity. They are also told to limit their use of social media during meetings, so as not to "give the impression that insufficient attention is being paid to the business of the meeting".

Deputy governance committee chair Mark Clifford asked of his colleagues:  “If politicians can’t behave respectfully, then how can we expect the public to follow suit?”

He added: “The aim is to restore respect in politics and put an end to a lot of the nastiness that is currently around, such as misinforming residents and then goading each other to comment on each other’s posts. 

“These days politicians need to be very careful and not stoke up further tension or incite hatred if we want to gain the respect of the electorate. We live in [fervent] times and have a duty to behave responsibly.  

“Sadly, we have seen the consequences of what happens when misinformation and hatred sets in, with the death of two MPs - and countless numbers of councillors forced to quit due to threats and intimidation,” Cllr Clifford said.

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The social media policy review was part of the council’s adoption of a new overall code of conduct which has been updated following recommendations from the Office for Standards in Public Life - a body that governance committee chair Alan Platt said he “wouldn’t want to argue with”.