A Reform UK-led council has cut ties with a journalist reporting on the area.
Derbyshire County Council announced earlier this week that it has decided to ‘end engagement’ with DerbyshireLive Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell.
Deputy Council leader Stephen Reed said the council had ‘lost confidence’ in Bisknell’s reporting following a ‘prolonged period of concerns regarding reporting standards, accuracy, balance and professional conduct’.
Speaking on BBC Radio Derby, Cllr Reed said the decision came in response to a story by Bisknell about the council’s decision to block an 81-year-old woman’s garden gate, costing her £50,000 in legal fees.
The judge ruled in the woman’s favour, leading the council to pay her costs.
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Bisknell then contacted the council for a right of reply. Cllr Reed, speaking on BBC Radio Derby, claimed that they were given less than four hours to reply.
But in an email screenshotted and published by DerbyshireLive, Bisknell was seen to have contacted the council’s press email at 10.34am on September 16 and asked for a response by 10am the following day ‘at the latest’, giving them just under 24 hours.
On Wednesday, Reed told the BBC he accepted that his initial claim about the amount of time the council was given to respond was wrong, but said the council still had concerns about Bisknell’s reporting.
He said to BBC Radio Derby: ‘I think the issue we have here is more about the trust we have with journalists, and one journalist in particular, in how this story’s come out.
‘This journalist who brought this story actually has a history with the council, and multiple complaints from the council, not the administration, about the way he’s conducted his stories and the way he writes a particular narrative.’
Natalie Fahy, DerbyshireLive’s editor-in-chief, said: ‘We utterly reject this attack on our journalism, stand fully opposed to the false claims made about Eddie’s and our editorial practices and urge Councillor Reed to retract his press releases.’
Last year, Nottinghamshire County Council, another Reform-led administration, banned reporters from the Nottingham Post, including Local Democracy Reporters, following a row over a story about local government reorganisation. The ban was later lifted.
Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director of Public Interest News Foundation, a charity dedicated to regenerating local news, told Metro: ‘If journalists can’t hold councils accountable, no one can.
‘Some politicians might want to do democracy in the dark, but it is much better with the lights on.’
The Local Democracy Reporting Service is funded by the BBC, with journalists hired to serve local titles.
Metro has contacted Reform UK and Derbyshire County Council for comment.
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