Today is the eight anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox, a Labour Party politician and member of parliament who was murdered on her way to her constituency surgery.

Heinous murders of democratically elected members and representatives must never happen again.

Eight years ago today, on 16 June 2016, Jo Cox was tragically murdered while on her way to a constituency surgery in Batley and Spen.

In the days that followed, the global wave of grief and solidarity demonstrated that her values were widely shared.
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— The Jo Cox Foundation (@JoCoxFoundation) June 16, 2024

The Local Government Association has published a guidance for safety of Councillors. This is very important as such representatives are holding surgeries for local people in easy accessible locations, just as members of parliament do.

In England, 43 per cent of candidates in the May 2024 local elections reported experiencing some kind of abuse or intimidation, with 10 per cent describing it as ‘serious’, according to disturbing new research from the Electoral Commission.

Please read the guidance issued here.