Derbyshire County Council, led by Reform UK, has ended its engagement with DerbyshireLive Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell. The council announced the decision earlier this week, stating it had 'lost confidence' in Bisknell's reporting.
Deputy Council leader Stephen Reed cited a 'prolonged period of concerns regarding reporting standards, accuracy, balance and professional conduct'. Speaking on BBC Radio Derby, Reed said the decision followed a story by Bisknell about the council blocking an 81-year-old woman's garden gate, which cost her £50,000 in legal fees. The judge ruled in the woman's favour, and the council was ordered to pay her costs.
Dispute over response time
Bisknell contacted the council for a right of reply after the story. Reed initially claimed the council was given less than four hours to respond. However, an email screenshot published by DerbyshireLive showed Bisknell contacted the council's press email at 10.34am on September 16 and requested a response by 10am the following day, providing nearly 24 hours.
On Wednesday, Reed told the BBC he accepted his initial claim about the response time was wrong but maintained the council still had concerns about Bisknell's reporting. He said: '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.'
Editor rejects claims
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, after a dispute over a story about local government reorganisation. The ban was later lifted.
Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director of the Public Interest News Foundation, 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.
