The Waltham Forest Guardian in east London has succeeded in its campaign to get an important council committee re-opened to the press and public.

A reporter from the paper had not been able to attend meetings of the transport liaison committee for 18-months, but now access has finally been restored.

The transport liaison committee includes councillors, local groups interested in public transport and traffic management and representatives of all the public transport organisations.

It talks about matters as varied as station security, new cycle lanes and changes to services.

In January last year reporter Naomi Wright was denied access to the meeting and was told that the chair had decided it was no longer open to the public.

Letters of complaint from the editor to the council's chief executive met with no success.

The committee is classified as an "informal advisory body" and as such is not subject to the usual public access rules.

Late last year the chair of the committee promised that he would try to have it re-opened but said that it would be necessary to gain the permission of the public transport bodies.

Finally, a reporter was this week able to attend the meeting – and came away with 15 stories of varying length, giving a clear indication of the public interest in the matters discussed.