Newspaper launches legal challenge over Reform ban

County council leader Mick Barton has not spoken to journalists from the Nottingham Post and its online arm, Nottinghamshire Live, since August

A local newspaper has launched a legal challenge against a Reform UK council leader's decision to refuse to speak to its reporters.

Nottinghamshire County Council leader Mick Barton has not spoken to journalists from the Nottingham Post and its online arm, Nottinghamshire Live, since August.

Now law firm CMS LLP has served the council with a legal letter on behalf of Reach, the organisation that runs the publisher, calling for the ban to be withdrawn.

It comes after Barton lifted the ban for the three BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) journalists, who work out of the publication.

The context and scope of the ban has been unclear since it was introduced.

'Irrationality'

According to the Post, an article about local government reorganisation, written by its agenda editor Oliver Pridmore, prompted the ban.

The council previously told the BBC the ban barred Barton and his party's councillors from speaking to the Post and the LDRS reporters "with immediate effect".

The authority also stopped sending press releases to the publication and inviting them to council events.

But Barton later clarified the ban only applied to press releases and him personally.

At the time, senior editor Natalie Fahy said she was "very concerned" by the "unprecedented ban". In response, Barton said the party would not "allow misinformation to shape the narrative of our governance".

On Tuesday, the Post said the legal letter called for the ban to be withdrawn in full.

It added the Post believed the decision to issue the ban was without legal basis "due to its irrationality".

The Post believes the ban is in breach of local government regulations, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights - in relation to freedom of expression - and the council's own councillor code of conduct.

The publication did not wish to make further comment when contacted by the BBC.

Nottinghamshire County Council's cabinet and the Local Democracy Reporting Service reporters were involved in a private meeting on Monday

Meanwhile, on Monday, the LDRS confirmed Barton had lifted the ban for its three reporters following a private meeting between them and the authority's cabinet.

It means these reporters will be added back into the authority's press mailing list, and will be able to engage in interviews with Reform councillors, as well as receiving invitations to events, according to the LDRS.

Jason Gibbins, BBC Local News Partnerships editor, said: "We welcome the reinstatement of Nottinghamshire Live's Local Democracy Reporters by the Reform-led council, but continue to urge for the full lifting of the ban on their remaining journalists.

"Free and fair journalism is vital to local democracy and must be upheld."

Senior political figures - including deputy Reform leader Richard Tice and leader Nigel Farage - have commented on the ban, but so far no resolution has been found.

Barton and the council have been contacted for comment, but neither responded at the time of publication.