AddThis SmartLayers

Vote count ban overturned after legal challenge

Reporters on a Midlands daily will be allowed full access to a vote count tonight after previously being banned by a district council.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council initially told The Sentinel that its journalists would not be allowed into the main hall of Brough Park Leisure Centre, in Leek, while votes were counted.

The paper says that the authority argued their presence could disturb the tallying process for the Staffordshire Moorlands seat.

Reporters and photographers were going to be allocated an adjacent room and told they could conduct interviews with candidates through a council intermediary, the only local authority to impose such restrictions.

The Sentinel instructed lawyers to challenge the ruling after discussions with other local media, arguing that the restrictions were not in the interests of transparent democracy.

The district council has now backed down and told the Northcliffe daily that accredited members of the media will be granted access to the counting floor, subject to conditions.

Sentinel editor Mike Sassi said: “It is incredibly important that such a crucial election should be accessible.

“We will now not only be able to describe the result to local people, but when it happened and how it happened.

“We are very glad that the council has listened to a request brought on behalf of our readers.”

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Comments

Chris Youett (06/05/2010 16:21:35)
Stoke Sentinel quite right to legally challenge this silly little ban. I hope that Staffordshire Moorlands Council realise what prize prats they have made themselves look. Did they actually believe they would be the only local authority in the country to win such a dispute?