An evening newspaper was banned from a council meeting on the basis that it was “neither public nor private”.

This was despite council officers advising that the inquiry into cost of repaving a busy Oxford Street should be “totally transparent” every step of the way – and open to the public.

But after pressure from the Oxford Mail and opposition members of Oxfordshire County Council, the long inquiry process is being opened up to both press and public from now on.

Mail reporter Michael Litchfield was turned away from the original meeting of the scrutiny committee.

He had only found out it was taking place after briefing papers – not marked confidential – were leaked by a contact at the authority.

Before the meeting, Conservative county councillor Charles Shouler said: “It is not a private meeting, nor is it a public meeting. It is an informal meeting to which the public is not invited.”

Opposition Labour member John Power said: “They haven’t a clue how to be truly transparent.”

The crucial meeting discussed what would be included in the up-coming investigation, and what should be left out after the repaving costs rocketed from £2.7m to £5.1m.

Local government reporter Michael said: “After our articles and pressure from the Labour opposition, the first meeting is going to be in public now, so in that respect a battle has been won.

“All the meetings will be covered by ourselves, as they should be, until they draw to a close in January.”

The scheme has been a bone of contention with several Labour councillors blaming the loss of their seats in the June elections on the row about who was to blame for the spiralling costs.

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