Reform UK Council in Notts Lifts Prohibition on Regional Journalists

A Reform UK council has withdrawn its ban on reporters from the area's largest regional publication after being threatened with legal proceedings over violating the publication's free speech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 municipal polls earlier this year, declared it was “committed to the principles of openness” after lifting the sanctions it had imposed on reporters from the Nottingham Post and its online platform.

The publication will now once again be invited to public council events and will be added to the council’s mailing list for official announcements. The ban had been enforced for over four weeks and had been condemned by elected officials and local MPs.

“The council confirms that your clients are and remain entitled to attend functions, sessions which are open to the public,” an official communication states.

The reversal came just a short time after the publication presented the council with a formal notice detailing additional measures it was contemplating taking.

The organization claimed the council was violating municipal rules and article 10 of the European convention on human rights (ECHR), which protects free speech and the right to voice views “without restriction without government interference”.

The restriction was imposed by the council’s head, after he took issue with an article about splits in his party over local government reorganisation plans.

A letter from the county council’s team manager for litigation indicated the measures had been the result of some “miscommunication or misunderstanding”.

It remains unclear whether the council leader is prepared to be questioned by the outlet.

The head of the news outlet said: “I am glad this unusual prohibition has been removed and the situation settled so that we can proceed to get on with our jobs as we always have.

“That means asking questions of elected council officials, having access to government data and gatherings and holding them to account on behalf of our residents in the region.

“This sends a firm message that the press will not yield if our rights are challenged.”

The editor had previously said the incident was a troubling indication of future developments should the political group establish the next government.

The restriction had already been partially lifted when it was removed from a group of publicly supported civic reporters that the publication also manages. However, the measures stayed enforced on other staff until now.