Reform-Run Derbyshire Council Faces Backlash After Boycotting Local Reporter

Reform UK-run Derbyshire County Council has faced criticism after withdrawing cooperation with a local journalist following disputes over stories on potholes and a viral report about a garden gate, according to The Guardian.

The council has been accused of setting a "dangerous precedent" after announcing it would refuse to engage with Eddie Bisknell, a Derbyshire Live reporter who is publicly funded to cover local democracy in the area. The council has denied formally banning Bisknell but has said it will not respond to his inquiries going forward.

Critics have described the council's position as the "worst kind of double speak," arguing that declining to answer a reporter's questions while insisting no formal ban is in place amounts to the same practical outcome: a local democracy reporter being cut off from an important source of public information.

The dispute marks the latest confrontation between Reform UK-run local authorities and local media outlets, following a string of stories from Bisknell covering local governance issues, including reporting on potholes and the garden gate story that drew wider public attention.

Local democracy reporters, a role often funded through schemes designed to sustain local journalism, rely on access to council officials and public bodies to hold local government accountable. Advocates for press freedom have expressed concern that a council refusing to engage with a specific journalist could undermine that accountability function.

The council has not detailed further what specifically prompted the decision to stop responding to Bisknell's inquiries, beyond characterizing its position as distinct from an outright ban.