![\"Councillors](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_JS235260378-24.jpg\")
Councillors in Stockport said the amount of abuse they are getting is on the rise (Image: Adam Vaughan \/ MEN)<\/p>\nThe council needs to build at least 25,000 new homes up to 2042.Councillors in Stockport said the amount of abuse they are getting is on the rise (Image: Adam Vaughan \/ MEN)<\/p>\n
A group of Stockport councillors say they\u2019ve faced \u2018appalling\u2019 treatment from some residents during discussions about future housing plans. The council is currently progressing its draft local plan<\/a>, a document which outlines where new homes could be built in future, including on sites at risk of being released from the green belt.<\/p>\n It comes after the council was given higher housebuilding targets following Labour<\/a>\u2019s general election victory in 2024. A public consultation on the draft local plan was launched in November 2025 and closed in December.<\/p>\n Councillors from the Heald Green Ratepayers said the behaviour of a small number of residents during the consultation was \u2018totally appalling\u2019.<\/p>\n In a blog post online, the group wrote: \u2018My colleagues Councillors Anna Charles-Jones and Carole McCann have both received significant harassment.<\/p>\n \u2018This is completely out of order. Attacking them, for what is largely national policy, is deeply unpleasant and pointless, it changes nothing and helps no one.\u2019<\/p>\n Stockport<\/a> council\u2019s draft local plan has divided opinions in the borough<\/a>, with some residents campaigning to protect green belt sites from being built on in future.<\/p>\n The blog post by the Heald Green Ratepayers continued to say: \u2018It\u2019s a shame that those on social media in Heald Green spend so much of their time and energy criticising us, and in this case sharing misinformation about how a local plan works.<\/p>\n \u2018If they had actually talked to us, we could have helped them understand the process.\u2019<\/p>\n Coun Charles-Jones, leader of the Heald Green Ratepayers, is a wheelchair user and said comments have been made attacking her online with a \u2018misogynistic undertone\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve had comments about my disability made on Facebook, and someone publicised where I live,\u201d she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of it is keyboard warriors and when we go out knocking on doors we get a very different response. With the local plan consultation the usual suspects just get louder.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s affecting our work because we’re taking time dealing with this, and on a personal level it can significantly impact your mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n Councillors from other political groups in Stockport said the level of abuse aimed at elected members has ramped up in the last few years.<\/p>\n Coun Christine Carrigan, leader of the opposition Labour group, said: \u201cThere has definitely been a rise in abuse directed towards councillors in recent years, and I\u2019ve experienced this myself, though it is largely confined to online spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cThis kind of behaviour takes a toll and risks normalising hostility towards people who are simply trying to serve their communities.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m particularly concerned about the impact this could have on those considering getting involved in politics in the future, as it risks putting good people off public service altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Thousands](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_JS376538484-2.jpg\")
Thousands of new homes are set to be built in Stockport in the coming years (Image: Gareth Fuller\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n