Wakefield councillors 'no longer do surgeries alone' as precaution

Coun Jeffery said it was a "worrying time".

Denise Jeffery said the measure was taken as a precaution by councillors, amid what she described as a "worrying time" for people in public life.

The issue of politicians' safety has been highlighted again following the death of Southend MP Sir David Amess, who was killed while conducting his surgery on October 15.

It came just five years after Batley and Birstall MP Jo Cox was also brutally murdered in her constituency.

Sir David Amess was killed in Southend while holding a constituency surgery.

Speaking on a Q&A session on Facebook on Tuesday, Coun Jeffery described Sir David's death as a "terrible tragedy".

She added: "We never thought we'd see it again after Jo Cox, but here we are again five years later.

"As councillors, we do worry.

"We are having to take more care and not do surgeries alone anymore."

Numerous MPs, including Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford's Yvette Cooper and Morley and Outwood's Andrea Jenkyns, have been the victims of abuse and threats in recent years.

Jade Botterill, who worked for Ms Cooper for six years, told the Evening Standard earlier this month how she was left unable to sleep because of the volume and vile nature of the death threats sent to the MP's office.

At a council level, local election candidates spoke out anonymously about growing fears for their own safety ahead of the polls in 2019.

Coun Jeffery added: "We are having to be vigilant.

"It’s important that the public are vigilant as well as the council, and if they have any suspicions then it’s best to report it.

"But it is a worrying time."

Local Democracy Reporting Service