Pickles speaks (again) and it isn’t good news for EDDC. He says that councils who do not allow recording are guilty of “Abuse of state powers “

We all know that EDDC is dragging its heels as slowly as possible over the recording of meetings.  It has reluctantly so far recorded only one meeting on a trial basis.

Thinks like this are upsetting Mr Pickles and today he has released yet more guidance on what is and is not allowed and he has said that he is  opening up planning appeals to recording by the public and to tweets and emails in real time.  The information is HERE.

A few paragraphs from this guidance give the picture:

A small number of councils are blocking filming because they want to suppress independent reporting, just as some councils are clinging to their town hall Pravdas. An independent local press and robust public scrutiny is essential for a healthy local democracy: without the sunlight of transparency, the flowering of localism will wither. Heavy-handed councils who call the police to suppress freedom of speech are abusing state powers.

….. “In June, Mr Pickles published clear guidance to councils asking them to open up to overt filming and social media. This builds on the rights to attend council meetings that were introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1960, following a Private Members’ Bill in her maiden speech to Parliament.

However, since June, some councils are still continuing to oppose an independent press:

• Wirral Council has said filming a planning committee would compromise “health and safety”
• Tower Hamlets Council barred a 71 year old resident from filming due the risk of “reputational damage to the authority”
• Keighley Town Council blocked residents filming as it would amount to a “breach of standing orders”
• Bexley Council said audio and visual filming would breach its “agreed protocol”
• Stamford Town Council has placed a ban on journalists tweeting from meetings due to the risk of them “not accurately portraying a debate”
• a blogger in Huntingdonshire was removed by police for filming, and has advised fellow bloggers to “be prepared for the police to be called and the possibility of arrest” if they try to film or report council meetings

The Welsh government has also rebuffed the suggestion that the same approach should be taken to open up council meetings in Wales, as is being pushed in England. Welsh ministers have claimed that the interest in openness is “an unhealthy obsession” and a blogger in Carmarthenshire was arrested and handcuffed by the police for filming a council meeting. …..

….. “A small number of councils are blocking filming because they want to suppress independent reporting, just as some councils are clinging to their town hall Pravdas. An independent local press and robust public scrutiny is essential for a healthy local democracy: without the sunlight of transparency, the flowering of localism will wither. Heavy-handed councils who call the police to suppress freedom of speech are abusing state powers.” …..

Unfortunately, Mr Pickles is also guilty of being less than transparent here – he is not actually forcing councils to do this.  What he is putting out is still “advice” and “guidance” only.  Until the law is changed councils such as ours will be able to continue dragging their heels, no matter what he says.

Unless WE ensure that this does not happen by constantly making our views known at every council meeting and in public and in the press.