I am proud to represent the people from the Leeds South constituency. I have a small team of dedicated staff based in my Leeds office who help to support constituents who come to me with casework problems or enquiries. We work to support as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.

I appreciate that people might act out of character in times of trouble or distress. There may have been upsetting or distressing circumstances leading up to a constituent approaching my office – and many of those who do contact me do so as a last resort.

However, I must protect my team from unacceptable or excessive demands that prevent them from carrying out their duties effectively.

It is those behaviours and actions that I aim to manage under this policy.

Aggressive or abusive behaviour

I understand that some constituents might be upset or angry about the issues they have raised in their correspondence. It is not acceptable, however, if that anger escalates to aggression towards my staff. Any violence or abuse towards staff will not be tolerated.

Violence includes acts of aggression that may result in physical harm, as well as behaviour or language (whether verbal or written) that may cause staff to feel threatened.

Unacceptable language is that which:

• is offensive, derogatory, or patronising,
• is discriminatory in any way, including racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic comments.

I may decide that comments aimed not at my staff but at third parties are unacceptable. Examples include rudeness, offensive comments, derogatory remarks, making inflammatory statements, or raising unsubstantiated allegations against these third parties.

All threats against my team will be taken very seriously and if staff feel scared or threatened at any point during a conversation with a constituent, the interaction will be ended.

Unreasonable demands

A demand becomes unreasonable when it starts to (or when complying with the demand would) impact substantially on the work my staff carry out on my behalf.

Examples of this behaviour include:

• repeatedly demanding a response within an unreasonable timescale,
• insisting on seeing or speaking to a particular member of staff, when that is not possible,
• repeatedly changing the substance of a complaint or raising unrelated concerns.
• making repeated and unnecessary contact during the course of us dealing with a complaint or carrying out an investigation,
• refusing to accept a decision where explanations for the decision have been provided.

Unreasonable levels of contact

Sometimes the volume and duration of contact made to my office by an individual can make it difficult for my team and I to process their case. This can occur over a short period, for example, a number of calls in one day or hour. It may occur over the lifespan of a complaint when a constituent repeatedly makes long telephone calls to us or inundates us with copies of information that has been sent already or that is not relevant to the complaint.

I would urge constituents not to act in a way where the amount of time spent talking to a constituent on the telephone, or responding to, reviewing, and filing emails or written correspondence impacts on my ability to deal with that complaint, or with the concerns of other constituents.

Harassment 

My staff have the right to carry out their duties free from harassment or threats of harassment. I ask everyone to respect that my staff are delivering a service on my behalf and therefore this may not reflect their own views or preferences.

Examples of behaviours I will consider to be harassment against my office include:

• recording telephone discussions and publishing the information online such as through YouTube or X. We treat your information and conversations in confidence and would urge you to do the same;
• publishing personal, sensitive, or private information about staff online or other public domains such as noticeboards or newsletters.

Refusal to co-operate

When looking at a complaint, my office will need to ask the individual who has contacted us to work with us. This can include agreeing with us:

• the complaint we will look at,
• providing us with further information, evidence, or comments on request, or
• helping us by summarising their concerns.

Sometimes, an individual repeatedly refuses to co-operate and this makes it difficult for us to proceed. My office will always seek to assist someone if they have a specific, genuine difficulty complying with a request.

However, it is not acceptable to bring a complaint to my office and then not respond to clear and appropriate requests by my team.

Social Media

I reserve the right to block any users who direct message me or comment on my social media posts in terms which I believe are:

• Abusive or obscene
• Graphic, sensitive or offensive imagery
• Deceptive or misleading
• In violation of any intellectual property rights
• In violation of any law or regulation
• Spam (persistent negative and/or abusive posting in which the aim is to provoke a response)

Reasonable adjustments

I understand that some constituents may find it difficult to express themselves or communicate clearly, especially when they are anxious or upset. In order to do this, we ask that they explain what adjustments they’re looking for and how this will ensure they can access the service my office offers.

My office will always consider making reasonable adjustments for a constituent if asked to do so. Examples of adjustments we can consider are:

• we could consider using different methods of communication;
• providing written communication in large print, coloured text, or in translation;
• giving clear warnings if conversations become unproductive and allowing constituents to opportunity to modify their behaviour before ending a call.

I may still use the policy if there are actions or behaviours which are having a negative effect on my staff or our work even where a reasonable adjustment has been made.

Actions I may take

When my office experiences behaviour or demands which are unacceptable, I may consider taking more formal action. The actions I will consider can include the following:

• Warning the constituent about their behaviour and requesting that the constituent modifies their behaviour in future contact with us.
• Appointing a specific point of contact for the constituent
• Communicating only in writing or via a representative.
• Deciding not to investigate a complaint on the basis that it has been pursued in a way that is unacceptable.
• Restricting or limiting contact.
• In very rare cases, stop all communication with a constituent.

Where it is decided that formal action must be taken to manage someone’s interaction with my office, I, or a member of my team, will inform them of the decision in writing.  A note will be placed on our records to this effect.

Confidentiality

I process data in line with data protection regulations and will always give constituents the option of remaining anonymous where it remains possible for me to assist them while that is the case. There are certain circumstances in which I will be required to share information regardless of consent, including:

• If a constituent informs me or a member of my team that they have a plan to hurt themselves or any other person.
• If a constituent informs me or a member of my team that they have committed or intend to commit an illegal act.

In such cases, the appropriate authorities may be informed without consent.

I take my responsibilities as a constituency MP very seriously and aim to do all in my power to assist any person who seeks my support. The above standards are set out to allow my team to discharge their duties effectively. If you have any questions, please email hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk .