Nottinghamshire County Council's Reform UK administration has barred its councillors from engaging with the Nottingham Post, its online edition, and BBC-funded local democracy reporters, in what the newspaper's editor calls a "massive attack on local democracy". The unprecedented move comes four months after Reform took control of the council.
Editor Natalie Fahy said the ban was imposed by council leader Mick Barton following a story about local government restructuring plans. She warned it could be a sign of how Reform would treat the press nationally if the party wins the next general election. "What you don't do is shut the shop up," she said. "They need to be answerable to the people who elected them."
The Liberal Democrats have written to party leader Nigel Farage demanding he reverse the "dangerous and chilling" decision, suggesting it may breach the local government code of conduct. Labour MP Michael Payne accused Reform of "rank hypocrisy" over the ban, given the party's claims to support free speech.
Barton defended the move in a statement, saying the council would not engage with media outlets it considers to be "consistently misrepresenting" its policies. Under the ban, all 41 Reform councillors are prohibited from speaking to Nottinghamshire Live and local democracy reporters, and the outlet has been removed from council media distribution lists.
