A quarter of the candidates for next month’s election have withheld their exact address from public view amid concerns for their safety or privacy. More than sixty of the 224 people vying for a seat on the council have opted to only list their address as “within Bath and North East Somerset”. The Electoral Commission relaxed the rules amid safety concerns following the murder of MP, Jo Cox.

A Liberal Democrat, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I have a young family, and given the choice, I did not want to advertise where I live. The memory of Jo Cox also played on my mind.

“I am concerned that means people might assume I do not live in my ward (which I do), but I decided by the time you get to having the ballot paper in front of you, most people will have already made a voting decision based on other factors.

“That said, it would be better if you could specify your address as the ward.”

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “All our candidates live in the district, and they all warmly welcome contact and engagement with the people who live in their ward. Many will have been meeting them on the doorstep for much longer than the election period, several years, in some cases, and if elected, they will hold frequent surgeries and continue door-knocking to stay in touch with local issues. It’s in our DNA to listen carefully to the people we represent.”

A Conservative group spokesperson said: “We give our candidates the decision on whether they would like to publicise their address or not, some feel comfortable with doing so, others do not want to face the negativity from online trolls.”

Sitting Councillor, Lizzie Gladwyn, revealed that she was stepping down because of the abuse she had received, both over the phone and in person.

Her Tory colleague, Patrick Anketell-Jones, said withholding his address was the default on the form, but he had no problem revealing his.

Councillor Mark Shelford, who has removed his address from the B&NES Council website, said: “I think it is a positive change which will encourage more candidates to stand, with less fear of intimidation.”

A spokesperson said Bath Labour Party was sorry to hear about the experience of Lizzie Gladwyn, adding: “Politicians of all parties deserve to be given the opportunity to express their views and represent residents without suffering abuse.

“Jo Cox’s tragic death brought home to us all the vulnerability of politicians, candidates and activists.

“The safety of our members is always uppermost in organising our campaigns.

“We welcomed the opportunity for candidates to decide whether or not to publish their home address.

“Bath Labour were happy for each candidate to make a decision based upon their personal circumstances.”

Weston candidate, Tamsin Egan, stated: “There was no party line. I was told to do what I felt comfortable with. I am very new to all of this, so I have no personal negative experience.

“I do, however, have two children and a partner who have not chosen to be involved in local politics, and I wished to distance them as much as I could.

“It crossed my mind that voters may see it as an attempt to conceal my address, but in the end I decided voters can contact me via Twitter, the party office, email or telephone if they wanted to discuss the matter.”

Concern for family was echoed by Kingsmead candidate, Mike Midgley, who said: “It is simply that I share my address with members of my family and whilst I am standing as a public figure, they are not. I do not feel that it is appropriate to disclose details of where they live.”

A Green candidate, who asked to remain anonymous, applied the advice she had received at work, saying: “On occasion, some people react badly to bad news, and we were told to stay less public, if possible, in order to prevent the risk of being followed home etc.

“There are folks out there who, if a little angry, could get aggressive.

“I like to think most people are interested in what councillors will actually do for them, now and going forward, more than they are about whether that person lives down their street.

“I live in the ward I am standing for. Perhaps that clarification on the ballot would be beneficial, rather than the whole of North East Somerset being included.”

All five UKIP candidates opted to withhold their exact address.

One of them, Nathan Lerway, said: “I was given the choice as to whether I wanted to publicise my address or keep it private. After discussing it with my wife, we decided to keep it private, in consideration of the fact we have two young children.

“It felt like the right decision for me and my family; voters will note that there is an email address or telephone number they can contact me on and should they wish to speak in person, this could be arranged via those contacts.”

BIG Independent candidate, Emma Adams, is the Chair of Batheaston Parish Council, where they have been reminded of their responsibilities under GDPR, an overhaul of data protection rules. She said she is very reachable by phone, email and social media.

Her colleague, Jess Milton, had a slightly different reason for withholding her address.

“I live on a boat, so pinning down my address is a little complicated,” she said.

“I live and work in Keynsham though, so it makes sense for me to stand here.”

She is just over the border, so listed her home address as in South Gloucestershire. Stephen Sumner, Local Democracy Reporter