A COUNCILLOR was driven to scrutinise the abuse of women on social media after seeing public figures come under a barrage of threatening insults.

Paula Wakefield, who represents Astley and Mosley Common, says she has seen threats to women online where there have been mentions of them being hung, shot, raped, beheaded and electrocuted.

The 38-year-old, who has worked as a volunteer for the Tyldesley Town Partnership and Friends of Astley Street Park, has also received threatening hate mail in the past for her public support of the guided busway.

She proposed a motion which was agreed in a full Wigan Council meeting on Wednesday which stated: “The council condemns the use of social media to attack individuals particularly women in public office within the borough.”

Cllr Wakefield said: “Women in public positions have been targeted online overwhelmingly and a lot of the abuse is sexualised and misogynistic.

“As a councillor, we should be allowed to carry out our duties without the fear of attack.

“If this type of abuse happened in real life it would be taken a lot more seriously.

"Being held to account is not the same as abuse, and freedom of speech is not the same as hate speech."

Leigh MP Jo Platt also put social media abuse of female public figures under the spotlight in Parliament in January when she mentioned a Facebook post which attacked Wigan Council chief executive Donna Hall.

Ms Wakefield, who is the youngest female councillor in the borough, is hoping stronger protection online will encourage younger women to stand for a council seat in the future.

As part of the motion, the council will write to the Home Office to demand “better legal protection and asking them to apply pressure on to social media companies to implement more stringent policies.”

Councillors have also signed a pledge in which they have vowed to make sure they conduct themselves properly on social media.

They have also been urged to flag up any instances of online abuse.