A CORNWALL councillor has spoken out about a campaign of abuse she has faced in the area she represents after a sign was erected mocking her.

Earlier this month, the plaque mysteriously appeared overnight in the centre of Newlyn, above highways work which has been carried out in the town to make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

It stated: “This pavement to nowhere was advocated and provisioned for by Cllr Thalia Marrington. A stunning example of the hubris and profligacy of the local council in the 2020s.

“Metaphorically leading nowhere it will become a symbol of her stymied political ambitions and the ennui of Newlyn’s silent majority.”

The sign – which was put up near a bus stop outside Newlyn’s GP surgery and opposite the popular Mackerel Sky seafood bar – disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared.

It was just the latest in what Cllr Marrington says is a long-term campaign against her in the fishing port. She has faced personal abuse in the street as well as years of online insults, much of which she doesn’t want to repeat.

The Liberal Democrat councillor for Newlyn, Mousehole and St Buryan has been reticent to speak to the media about what she has faced, but believes she now has to. “I do not want to normalise this as it’s not acceptable. As a community leader, I do think I need to speak up,” she told us.

Cornwall Council has also spoken out after people commented about the insulting sign. A spokesperson for the local authority said: “This is the latest in a series of incidents in Newlyn and Penzance which have left council officials and staff feeling intimidated. We would remind people that abuse towards anyone for simply doing their job is totally unacceptable.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe and we take our legal and moral responsibility to protect our staff extremely seriously.”

Of course, Cllr Marrington – who is the cabinet member for community safety – is not an employee of the council but an elected member, which makes her feel more vulnerable.

Regarding the plaque, she said: “It upsets me because I think about how much negative energy has been expended and what a waste of money to actually do that. How much energy from all these people online in stirring up anger about me and how ‘useless’ I am – that’s what they’re all laughing about.”

She says the highways work mocked in the sign is not a “pavement to nowhere” but rounding off of the road changes around the nearby bus stop.

“It’s not a case of Cormac making a mistake, that’s rubbish – it’s a petty non-issue.

“It’s a silly thing to do – it’s waste of people’s energy – and it needs to be turned around as there is a not very pleasant vibe in Newlyn at the moment.”

The “not very pleasant vibe” has come to a head in recent works following a slew of roadworks, which have proved unpopular with some members of the community.

Chywoone Hill was closed in February due to the collapse of a privately-owned stone wall. Five weeks of repair work began in early March to address the safety hazard, causing traffic congestion. The matter had nothing to do with Cornwall Council yet Cllr Marrington still faced abuse about it despite ensuring the work was carried out as swiftly as possible.

Then hundreds of people signed a petition against a council decision to close the town’s Old Bridge to traffic by installing bollards in front of the historic Grade II listed structure.

That was followed by extensive work on a series of “highways improvements to enhance safety and accessibility for walking and cycling”.

We have previously reported how some local businesses and residents opposed the work, while staff from Cormac – Cornwall Council’s highways arm – were abused, sworn and shouted at, had their tools kicked and were even spat at by members of the public while carrying out the work.

Cllr Marrington said: “I ensured the work was quick and Cormac worked really hard on making it as least disruptive as possible, but it takes one person to say it’s going to be disastrous, then it gets whipped up. Everyone forgets this has been going on for years with four consultations.

“I think people had forgotten after the public consultations and a public exhibition that there were things happening. Now there are a few dropped kerbs, a wider pavement outside somewhere where it was unsafe and people were queuing into the road, and there are highways tactiles.”

She added: “You don’t often hear from the people who will need those improvements, like people using mobility scooters or people with pushchairs.”

Since the sign appeared, Cllr Marrington has gone to the police to discuss the abuse she is facing. “They asked me if I’m worried and it does worry me for two reasons – one is people like me are going to leave public life and that’s a worry generally about democracy, but it also spilled over into vandalism, verbal abuse and spitting for the Cormac workers, which is utterly not acceptable.

“The sad thing was I predicted it would happen – I told Cormac you’re going to have to be so careful. I told them to expect sabotage – how bad is that?”

She believes the situation has got “out of control” and that “trolls” are inciting others.

“You have to trust the people who are elected to share information and if I’m seen as the bit of **** on the end of a shoe, I have a real problem. People are putting misinformation online and that leads to a huge problem with a few people spreading absolute rubbish.”

She says there are sites set up that are specifically anti her and Cllr Penny Osborne, who represents the Newlyn and Mousehole ward on Penzance Council. People have registered code of conduct complaints against both councillors, which have been rejected.

“When I first got them, it was frightening. I thought ‘what have I done wrong?’ What I’d done was correct some misinformation, but someone said I said they were lying, but of course I didn’t say that,” added Cllr Marrington.

She said it leads to councillors like her “self-censoring” to avoid abuse. She has even questioned having a social media presence, but residents have told her they rely on the information she shares about the area she represents in West Cornwall.

“I’ve noticed, particularly now I’m a cabinet member, if people are angry with a decision and it hasn’t gone their way there is a standard pattern – tell everyone else about it, whip them up and get them on board with your view, go to the media, and threaten injunctions and judicial reviews.”

She has been abused in the street as well as online. “There are people who are making any local issue a personal attack.”

The councillor, who lives in Mousehole, added: “Because I’m a Lib Dem and absolutely believe in freedom of speech, I believe in listening to quieter voices as well as loud voices. I make it my aim to make sure I don’t just listen to the shouty voices, so it’s particularly hard when you’re told you’re not listening.

“When you’re a councillor, you will always make a decision that will upset somebody. So it’s not like I’m a weak snowflake. I won’t do the populist thing, but I will do what’s right for people. But this has become personal.

“When some people, and it’s just a few people, don’t get what they want they assume their view is the only view and that’s not healthy for a community. We’ve got to work together, so I’m not going to give up. My absolute aim is to build this community back.”

Cllr Marrington says it’s been a “long-term campaign” against her. “People have got to realise there is a limit and this level of personal [abuse] is pointless ultimately. What will it achieve? It won’t achieve what they want – the traffic works is happening and Cormac have worked very hard on it.

“Cormac have said how many people have been coming up to them saying how good the work is and how pleased they are with it.”

She added: “This morning I was walking and saw a woman looking at me. I asked her if everything was okay, thinking it was going to be something about Mousehole and the traffic scheme there. She said ‘I just want to say how sorry I am with what I see online’.

“When I actually knock on doors, people are fine. The reason I keep going is because the Facebook / online world is not reality. I’ve been so grateful to the people who have come up to me in the street.”