As reported by the Newspaper Society: The Daily Telegraph reported this yesterday that Mr Pickles had warned of a “chilling effect on public life” after NALC wrote to 9,000 parish councils in England telling councillors not to speak to journalists without permission.
Mr Pickles said: “Freedom of speech is a vital part of local democracy. Councillors must be able to challenge waste and inefficiency, and should not have to get permission from state officials to speak to the press.
“I am concerned that this Stalinist guidance will have a chilling effect on public life. I am making clear its contents are utterly opposed by the Government and it should be withdrawn immediately. We should be championing the independent free press, not trying to suppress it.”
The Communities Department said in a statement that the Government is taking action in response to new guidance issued by the NALC to all parish councils. The new “media policy” which councils are asked to formally adopt seeks to bar contact with journalists. It asserts:
* All journalists must contact the Council Clerk and may not contact councillors directly.
* Any contact by councillors with journalists requires the Council’s prior written consent.
* Councillors cannot provide verbal or written statements to the media as a councillor without the written consent.
* Councillors are not permitted to use the title “councillor” if giving comments in a private capacity.
The NS has been supportive of Mr Pickles’ campaign to rein in aggressive council publications such as Tower Hamlets East End Life which compete with independent newspapers for advertising and readers.
On the issue of statutory public notices, he has said his intention is to stick to the commitment made when coming into office not to remove them from local papers during the lifetime of this Parliament.
