Derbyshire County Council Refuses to Engage With Local Journalist
Derbyshire County Council announced it will ignore inquiries from Derbyshire Live journalist Eddie Bisknell following disputes over the council's pothole statistics.
The Derbyshire County Council, led by Reform UK, announced it will refuse to engage with Eddie Bisknell, a journalist for Derbyshire Live. The decision follows tensions over reporting on the council's claims that pothole numbers dropped from 12,000 to under 700, as well as a story regarding a fence panel cemented across a garden wall.
Deputy leader Stephen Reed stated that the administration chose not to respond to Bisknell's inquiries but maintained that non-engagement is not a ban, noting that the reporter can still attend public events and write about the council.
Media organizations including Reach, the Society of Editors, and the National Union of Journalists have condemned the move. Critics argue that the council's refusal to cooperate sets a dangerous precedent for local democracy and transparency, characterizing the action as a functional ban on a member of the press.
