Personal Safety Audits For Councillors After May Election In Highland Following A Man Convicted

14th March 2022

Highland Council has agreed to a proposal for personal safety audits for members after the May local elections.

Councillor Lobban said that councillors could be more at risk then MP's or MSP's as they were often more available in the community

Two councillors Councillors Pippa Hadley and Bill Lobban tabled a motion.

"Following the elections, council pledges to undertake a personal safety audit, with regard to the personal safety of the new elected members, and to taking an individual based approach to supporting/achieving this in a practical fashion - alongside delivery of an educational council wide programme giving information, practical advice and current best practice in both preventing and dealing with threat, plus to ensure a working communication system is in place and is connected to Police Scotland's current system of high profile/vulnerable persons alert."

This follows an incident involving councillor Pippa Hadley when
Kingussie man Mark MacDonald approached Scottish Green Cllr Hadley ranting at her that she and other "Commie, leftist Green cows" should be put up against a wall and shot in an incident last October.

Macdonald was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment at Inverness Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to threatening or abusive behaviour, acting in a racially aggravated manner and assault.

The pair's motion stated: “As a council we perform best when we have a broad and diverse representation elected to position, and with recognition of the need to ensure that the role is open to a broad a range of candidates for this role as possible to achieve this fair balance, resolves to address the personal safety issue on a timescale of delivery to work with the election of new members this coming May.

MP David Amess was stabbed to death at his constituency surgery in October last year. MP Jo Cox was killed at the height of the Brexit referendum campaign.