Reform leader's door 'always open' despite press ban

Mick Barton banned the Nottingham Post and its online website Nottinghamshire Live after what the BBC understands was a disagreement about a story it ran on local government reorganisation

A Reform UK council leader has said his door is "always open" to a local newspaper, despite refusing 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.

Law firm CMS LLP served the council with a legal letter on Tuesday on behalf of Reach, the organisation that runs the publisher, calling for the ban to be withdrawn in full.

Barton told the BBC the authority would respond "by teatime" on Thursday, adding he was "sure it'll be positive news for everyone", without giving further details.

He said: "My door is always open, and they can come and see me.

"I want to work with everyone, I've said that from day one. Let's see what happens."

Barton, who was speaking to the BBC earlier about a row over a local government reorganisation report, added the Post had "been obsessed with me in the last few weeks... putting up two or three posts about me a day".

The publication declined to comment on Barton's comments when approached by the BBC.

Nottinghamshire County Council stopped sending press releases to the Post and inviting them to council events

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

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

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 the issuing of press releases and for 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".

Barton later lifted the ban for the three BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service journalists, who work out of the publication.

On Tuesday, after the legal letter was issued on the behalf of the Post, the publication said it believed the decision to issue the ban was without legal basis "due to its irrationality".

The Post believes it 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

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.