Reform UK Local Authority in Notts Revokes Ban on Local Journalists
A Reform Party council has rescinded its prohibition on reporters from the region's largest regional publication after being threatened with legal proceedings over violating the publication's free speech rights.
The Nottinghamshire county council, which has been led by the Reform party since the local elections earlier this year, stated it was dedicated to the values of openness” after removing the restrictions it had imposed on journalists from the Nottingham Post and its online platform.
The publication will now again be invited to public council events and will be reinstated to the council’s distribution list for official announcements. The prohibition had been enforced for over four weeks and had been condemned by elected officials and regional representatives.
“The council affirms that your journalists are and remain entitled to attend functions, sessions which are open to the public,” an official communication declares.
The climbdown came just a short time after the publication submitted the council with a legal letter outlining further action it was contemplating taking.
The organization argued the council was violating local government regulations and a key provision of the ECHR, which protects free speech and the right to express opinions “without restriction without government interference”.
The restriction was enforced by the council’s leader, after he objected to an report about splits in his party over municipal restructuring proposals.
A communication from the county council’s team manager for litigation stated the restrictions had been the result of some “miscommunication or confusion”.
It remains unclear whether the council leader is prepared to be questioned by the publication.
The head of the publication commented: “I am glad this unprecedented ban has been removed and the situation finally resolved so that we can continue to get on with our jobs as we typically do.
“That means asking questions of elected council officials, having access to government data and events and ensuring accountability on behalf of our residents in Nottinghamshire.
“This sends a firm message that the press will not back down if our rights are challenged.”
The publication head had previously remarked the episode was a troubling sign of things to come should the political group establish the next government.
The ban had already been partially lifted when it was removed from a team of BBC-funded civic reporters that the publication also oversees. However, the measures stayed enforced on additional staff until now.