Teachers and social workers attacked as violence against council staff soars.

According to a new report, employees at Coventry City Council have been physically attacked, sexually assaulted, and verbally insulted. Assaults have increased by 30 percent in the last year, highlighting the serious risks that employees face on the job.

According to Firm Legal Expert, 779 abusive events occurred in the fiscal year ending March 2025. It is a worrying 30% increase over the 601 cases reported by employees and contractors in 2023/24.

Of the 779 attacks reported by Coventry City Council, 613 were physical in character, and 335 resulted in injuries. Some of the victims experienced broken bones, scrapes, and bruises.

According to Legal Expert, Coventry City Council has received 1,980 reports of assault and abuse against its staff over the last three years. The GMB union revealed in a survey published earlier this year that more than half of care workers have experienced physical abuse on the job.

Kevin Brandstatter, GMB National Officer, described the findings as ‘horrifying.’ His statement continued:

“GMB members are left to deal with angry tenants needing repairs to council housing, motorists raging about a parking ticket and furious parents complaining about the treatment of their children at school.”

Mr Brandstatter stated, “Employers have a duty of care and must ensure the safety of their employees.” GMB understands how severe this situation is.”

Coventry City Council documented 12 sexual assaults on personnel and over 150 verbal assaults, four of which were suspected to be racially motivated.

The majority of attacks were directed at teachers, with statistics indicating that they were subjected to 202 occurrences of abuse in 2024/25 that resulted in injuries.

Social workers were also physically assaulted, resulting in 24 injuries. One library employee claimed an arm injury after being attacked, and three highway maintenance employees were also targeted.

Solicitor Patrick Mallon said: “Every employer in this country owes their employees a legal duty of care. It means they must do everything that is reasonably practicable to keep workers safe.

“It includes reasonable protection against injuries through assault. If a local authority fails to take realistic measures to ensure employees are protected, they have failed to uphold their legal duty.

“Not every incident can be predicted or prevented. However, every employee has the right to ask if more could have been done for them and to seek legal advice if they were let down.”

A spokesman for Coventry City Council said: “We work hard as an authority to ensure our employees can undertake their roles safely. Our staff work hard to provide services and support for everyone in our community, and it is completely unacceptable for them to face any kind of abuse, threats or harassment or to feel unsafe in their roles.

“We know that the vast majority of our residents and service users are respectful, with only a small number exhibiting abusive behaviour.

However, there is no excuse for this attitude, and we will not allow it. We have a culture in place that aggressively encourages and supports employees to report any abusive or threatening behaviour.”

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