The Reform UK leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has banned a local newspaper from contacting him or his councillors following a row over reporting.
Cllr Mick Barton has reportedly barred the Nottingham Post and its sister site Nottinghamshire Live, claiming their coverage of proposals for local government reorganisation was misleading.
In a statement, Barton said the party would not ‘allow misinformation to shape the narrative of our governance,’ insisting the move was necessary to protect public debate.
The decision has drawn criticism from the paper’s senior editor, Natalie Fahy, who told the BBC she was ‘very concerned’ by what she described as an ‘unprecedented ban.’ She argued that restricting access undermines scrutiny of elected representatives.
The ban means the titles will be unable to interview Reform UK councillors on county council issues, raising questions about transparency and press freedom in Nottinghamshire.
A council spokesperson said the ban would only be lifted for emergency scenarios like flooding and weather-related cases, incidents at council-run schools, adult social care, or public safety issues.
To learn more about Reform UK, check out: Reform UK: What Britain’s fastest rising party stands for and Reform UK’s ‘Doge’ witch-hunts will achieve little.
