There is never an excuse for intimidation and threats of violence against politicians.
Police should treat any such behaviour directed at councillors with the utmost seriousness.
The fact that two MPs – Jo Cox and David Amess – have been murdered in recent years underlines why there can be no complacency.
It is however a PR disaster for council leaders to accept pay rises of up to 41 per cent on the same day council tax bills for households soar to record levels.
In recent weeks, Falkirk Council voted through a 15.6 per cent rise, Glasgow 7.5 per cent, Edinburgh eight per cent, and Clackmannanshire and East Dunbartonshire 13 per cent… the list goes on.
These are huge increases that cost ordinary families hundreds of pounds a year and come on top of a slew of other financial hits as rents, water charges and energy costs all continue to climb.
Just about the only thing that isn’t going up for many workers are their wages, with annual increases which too often lag behind inflation.
Council workers in Scotland, for example, are considering strike action after being offered a three per cent rise.
Against this backdrop it is simply difficult to imagine any circumstances that council leaders and lord provosts should be seeing their pay rocket.
Edinburgh leader Jane Meagher and Glasgow leader Susan Aitken are both trousering a 12 per cent rise, taking their
pay to £71,519.
In Falkirk, leader Cecil Meiklejohn will get a 17 per cent boost, taking her to £50,063 and in Orkney Heather Woodbridge will be on the same amount – a whopping 41 per cent rise.
While becoming a councillor means taking on a hefty workload, many continue to have a full-time job and it has traditionally been a part-time role.
Local politics is incredibly important to the functioning of democracy and of course there should be payment for getting involved.
But these pay hikes are only going to fuel the perception that politicians are out for themselves rather than the people they are paid to represent.
If people felt they were getting value for money, that would softened the blow.
Instead bills soar, services slump and the only thing that appears to be rewarded is failure.