Sir David Amess death and abuse of public servants is threatening democracy - Jayne Dowle

Enough of the constant 24/7 demands. Enough of being blamed for everything. And enough of the abuse, both online and in person. So much of this, too often, comes from social media where a minority of people think it’s acceptable to make comments which are deeply hurtful and often psychologically damaging, to those who, by and large, are really trying to do their best.

However, there are worrying instances of this vitriol spilling out into ‘real life’. In November last year, a female Labour councillor in Barnsley was actually approached by a constituent and punched in the face – in broad daylight.

Pauline Markham, 68, a former mayor, was out walking her dog at half-past two in the afternoon. The man who attacked her, as the trial found out, was angry at a decision to fence off a field which had reportedly been used by off-road bikers.

It wasn’t the first time she’d experienced violence and hassle either. Ms Markham has previously spoken of having an item thrown at her and also, her car tyres have been slashed. She’s the first to admit she’s outspoken, and it would seem that not everyone agrees with the tough stance she takes on various matters, on behalf of those she serves.

That’s right. It’s often forgotten that councillors serve. They sit on committees for hours on end, to help form decisions that affect the way we live. They don’t give up their evenings for meeting and weekends for surgeries and paperwork for fun. They commit to helping and supporting people with everything from immigration matters to dog-fouling because they believe that they can actually help and make a difference.

And what do they receive in return? An allowance, yes, but that is acceptable recompense for their time. And a load of grief. There’s so much ignorance about the way that local government works, I’m not surprised that negative incidents are becoming far too commonplace. I was speaking to a long-standing local councillor recently and he told me he’s often met with incomprehension when he introduces himself to younger locals who have no idea at all what his role is for.

There’s a massive disconnect here, and the complete decline of what we used to call ‘civics’ at school is to blame. Politics, in any shape, is so overwhelming for a lot of people they simply switch off.

However, if something is wrong in their neighbourhood ‘the council’ is the first place they turn. And too often, it would seem, when they realise that their councillor does not possess super-human powers to rectify whatever it is that’s bothering them, that’s when the trouble starts.

In Wales, several local councillors, including Huw George, a Baptist minister who has served on Pembrokeshire council for 16 years, have been speaking out about the abuse – both in person and online – behind their decisions to stand down. And raising concerns about the fact that in many instances, no-one is prepared to step up and step forward to replace them, meaning that dozens of seats will go uncontested in the elections.

And this, says former Senedd member and political consultant Nerys Evans, is of huge concern because it’s a symptom of a “democratic deficit”. She believes good councillors are standing down because they have had enough of this “endemic” abuse. “I’m not surprised that many really good councillors have decided, actually, they don’t want to be doing that any more,” she says.

The rise of social media is partly to blame, she adds, along with easy access to councillors: “You’re accessible 24 hours a day to the local community. So that does bring its own problems.”

And not least of these is security, as Ms Markham in Barnsley knows to her cost. We all know about the terrible things which have happened to MPs, including the deaths of Sir David Amess and here in Yorkshire, Jo Cox, who lost her life at the hands of a constituent in June 2016.

Many Westminster politicians are dealing with constant threats to their home, person and family, but obviously by its very nature this kind of attention is not brought to public attention. If it’s happening at local level too, and risking the process of government from the grass roots up, then we should all make a stance, before it’s too late and no-one wants to step up to the plate at all.

“This is above politics,” said Ms Markham after the attack she suffered, which left her with a black eye. “It doesn’t matter which party you support, this shouldn’t be happening to anybody in public life.”

And that is precisely why so many able and capable local councillors are deciding that public life is not for them. And why the wheels of democracy turn a little slower every time one of them quits.