1 November 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Elected officials are entitled to a security grant of up to €10,000.. Now a new document will support councillors to campaign safely
A new toolkit will help support councillors and public representatives nationwide to campaign safely in person and online.
The Councillor Safety and Support toolkit highlights practical measures to help councillors and all representatives or those seeking election to improve personal security.
It will be distributed to Fine Gael councillors at this weekend’s Ard Fheis in Cork and will be made available to councillors of all parties.
It includes guidelines on managing social media privacy settings, staying safe while canvassing, and how to respond to abusive interactions and harassment.
The toolkit also highlights supports that are already there for councillors, such as the Security Allowance Scheme which provides a grant of up to €10,000 to cover protections like intruder alarms, CCTV, and construction.
Earlier this year, many female councillors across the country were targeted with persistent, harassing phone calls resulting in an extensive garda investigation.
The toolkit acknowledges how public representatives can be targeted because of their gender, race, sexuality, and other characteristics and offers guidance.
Minister of State for Planning and Local Government John Cummins said, “Our councillors play a vital role in communities across Ireland, and it is essential they feel free to carry out their work without fear of intimidation, harassment, or abuse.
“The safety and wellbeing of our councillors must be a priority. This toolkit provides essential guidelines to help councillors protect themselves, whether they’re out on the doors or communicating online.
“No one should be deterred from public service because of threats or abuse, and we must ensure public representatives have the supports they need to continue serving their communities.”
The issue of public representatives’ safety and security concerns will be discussed at a stand-alone session this weekend at the Ard Fheis taking place in University College Cork.
Carrigaline based Cork County Councillor Una McCarthy said, “Being accessible and available to the people we represent is an important part of a councillor’s role. Staying connected with our communities is at the heart of strong local democracy.
“For this to continue, we must ensure we have safeguards in place that we can protect ourselves if the need arises.
“In Fine Gael we want all our elected representatives, and future candidates to be able to participate freely, safely and without fear of intimidation, discrimination, harassment or abuse.
“This toolkit provides effective ways to help manage the impacts of abuse and build resilience.
“Everyone is entitled to express an opinion, and robust debate is an essential part of democracy. However, there is a clear distinction between legitimate political debate and personal abuse. No one has the right to harass, intimidate or threaten public representatives.
“While we hope these situations never arise, the reality is that they can and do happen. It is important that we are prepared, know how to respond and have the right supports in place when we need them.”