Overview

• Council leader Mick Barton instructed Reform’s 40 Nottinghamshire councillors not to give interviews or send press releases to NottinghamshireLive or its Local Democracy Reporters, with exceptions only for emergencies such as flooding.
• A statement posted on August 28 said the group will also shun any outlet it deems to be consistently misrepresenting its policies or actions, and it added that the council will not comment further on the dispute.
• The National Union of Journalists and NottinghamshireLive’s editor criticized the move as harmful to democratic accountability, though reporters will still attend public council meetings.
• Conservative opposition leader Sam Smith said refusing to engage with local media cuts residents off from information and weakens oversight of decision makers.
• Reform UK’s national office was contacted with no substantive response reported, as reactions elsewhere included a Worcestershire Reform leader declining to comment and a Conservative district leader denouncing the stance.