A council has reversed its ban on journalists reporting on grants it hands out to community organisations after protests by the local paper.

The Free Press in Pontypool was warned by Pontypool Community Council that all future grant decisions would be made in private.

But the paper’s managing editor Nicole Garnon branded the decision ridiculous and devoted its front page and leader column to the row.

Now the council has backed down with the chairman admitting in a letter to the paper: “We got it wrong.”

Cllr Barry Taylor wrote:  “Far from wishing to gag the press or take decisions behind closed doors, we welcome reporters to our meetings and would like to thank them for attending and helping promote the business of the council and the funding to community groups.

“To solve a problem we currently face with grant and small scheme applications we actually created one.

“As chairman, I accept we got this decision wrong and will consider this decision at the next meeting of the council.

“Making unpopular decisions is a part and parcel of public duty which cannot be avoided and improving the transparency of our decisions at this time is even more critical.”

Parish and community councils are covered in law by the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960.

The act says councils can only exclude the public from all or part of a meeting “whenever publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted or for other special reasons stated in the resolution and arising from the nature of that business or of the proceedings.”

Commented Nicole:  “I am glad the chairman reacted so quickly to both my editorial comment in the paper and a letter to him.

“This was a ridiculous decision which should never have been taken in the first place.”

The front page of the Pontypool Free Press which condemned the decision by the town's community council