A Reform Party council has withdrawn its prohibition on journalists from the area's biggest regional publication after being threatened with legal proceedings over infringing on the outlet's freedom of expression.
The Notts council, which has been governed by the Reform party since the local elections earlier this year, stated it was “committed to the values of openness” after lifting the sanctions it had imposed on reporters from the local paper and its website.
The publication will now again be welcomed to open council meetings and will be added to the council’s mailing list for press releases. The prohibition had been in place for over four weeks and had been criticized by political leaders and regional representatives.
“The council confirms that your journalists are and remain entitled to attend functions, meetings which are open to the public,” the letter states.
The reversal came just days after the outlet presented the council with a formal notice detailing additional measures it was considering taking.
The company argued the council was breaching local government regulations and a key provision of the European convention on human rights (ECHR), which safeguards free speech and the right to express opinions “without restriction without state intervention”.
The ban was imposed by the council’s leader, after he took issue with an article about splits in his group over municipal restructuring proposals.
A letter from the county council’s team manager for litigation stated the restrictions had been the result of some “miscommunication or misunderstanding”.
It remains unclear whether the head is prepared to be questioned by the outlet.
The head of the news outlet commented: “I’m pleased this unprecedented ban has been lifted and the issue finally resolved so that we can continue to carry out our jobs as we always have.
“That means inquiring of elected council officials, having entry to publicly funded information and events and holding them to account on behalf of our communities in Nottinghamshire.
“This sends a firm message that the press will not yield if our freedoms are attacked.”
The publication head had previously said the episode was a concerning indication of future developments should the party establish the next administration.
The restriction had previously been partially lifted when it was withdrawn from a group of BBC-funded civic reporters that the publication also oversees. However, the measures remained in place on other journalists until now.
