Outrage after Reform-led council ban journalist who revealed pensioner's 'Lego blockade' plight in latest attack on media freedom

A Reform-led council has been accused of attacking press freedom after it banned a journalist who revealed a story about a pensioner who won a legal battle with the authority over her garden gate.

Derbyshire County Council has decided to 'end engagement' with local democracy reporter Eddie Bisknell, saying it had 'concerns' over his reporting.

It comes after Mr Bisknell revealed the case of Helene Ball, an 81-year-old retired teacher who won a three-year, £50,000 fight over the right to walk through her back gate.

The council was heavily criticised by a judge over the 'pugnacious' case and sparked further outrage when it dumped giant concrete 'Lego' blocks outside Mrs Ball's home following her victory.

Mr Bisknell is one of 165 local reporters funded by the BBC to cover local politics. His work appears in the Derby Telegraph as well as the Derbyshire Times.

His story about Mrs Ball was later covered by national newspapers, including the Daily Mail.

Announcing the ban in a press release, deputy council leader Councillor Stephen Reed said they had 'lost confidence' in Mr Bisknell's reporting following what they claim is a 'prolonged period of concerns regarding reporting standards, accuracy, balance and professional conduct'.

Announcing the ban in a press release, deputy council leader Councillor Stephen Reed, pictured, said they had 'lost confidence' in Eddie Bisknell's reporting

Derbyshire Telegraph editor in chief Natalie Fahy (pictured) said they 'utterly reject this attack on our journalism' and 'stand fully opposed to the false claims' made about Mr Bisknell's reporting 

The case follows that of neighbouring Nottinghamshire County Council – also under control of Reform UK – which banned Nottingham Post reporters following a row over a story on local government reorganisation.

In an interview with BBC Radio Derby Cllr Reed was specifically critical of Mr Bisknell's story about Mrs Ball, saying it shouldn't have been published because it related to 'ongoing legal proceedings'.

He claimed the council had only been given four hours to respond to allegations it had 'bullied' Mrs Ball and added that the result was a story that was 'at worst irresponsible and at best an editorial opinion without all the facts'.

Derbyshire Reform later said the decision to end engagement with Mr Bisknell is not an outright 'ban' on engaging with local news, but any requests for comment or information from the reporter specifically will not be met with a response.

Derbyshire Telegraph editor in chief Natalie Fahy refuted the allegations, pointing to an email giving the council 24 hours to respond and the fact the original story came from a court judgment not an 'ongoing' court case.

She said Mr Bisknell had 'been a bit of a thorn in the council's side (as any good journalist should be)' but had not received any complaints about his previous reporting.

She added: 'We utterly reject this attack on our journalism, stand fully opposed to the false claims made about Eddie's and our editorial practices and urge Cllr Reed to retract his press releases.'

Criticising the decision, Cllr Alex Dale, leader of the Conservative Group on the council, said: 'Freedom of the press is an absolute cornerstone of our democracy' adding that 'any attack on the freedom of the press is an attack on democracy itself'.

Mrs Ball, a grandmother of four, took legal action against Derbyshire County Council after discovering one day in April 2023 that a metal fence had been erected over a 3ft 3in gap in her rear garden wall.

The gap leads into an adjoining council-owned car park, but Mrs Ball, who has lived at the house in Matlock since 1967, said she and her family had used the route unopposed for almost 60 years.

Mrs Ball argued that her continued access amounted to prescriptive rights to access the route and a judge later ruled in her favour – with the access now being added to the deed for the land.

The council was also ordered by the courts to pay Mrs Ball's costs of around £50,000 and to ensure her access is not impeded again.

Mrs Ball was then shocked to discover 54 huge 'Lego-style' concrete blocks placed outside her home earlier this month. The 2ft-high bricks line the narrow road behind her property and the grass verge alongside her garden wall.

Mrs Ball, who is now preparing for another legal battle in a bid to force the council to remove the blocks, said: 'It's just so petty of the council to do this after they lost the case - but they have been spiteful from the start.

'The judge said I had a right of access by foot and by car to the rear of my house. However, the council have made it impossible to drive a car up the road and turn round, it's ridiculous.'

Last year Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council issued a similar ban against the Derby Telegraph's sister paper, the Nottingham Post.

The authority stopped sending press releases to the publication and inviting them to council events, prompting then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to brand the party 'cowards'. The ban was later lifted following a legal challenge by the newspaper.

In a statement, Reform UK in Derbyshire said it had 'taken the decision to end engagement with an individual local democracy reporter following a prolonged period of concerns regarding reporting standards, accuracy, balance and professional conduct'.

It added: 'The administration wishes to make absolutely clear that this decision is not an attack on freedom of the press, local journalism or the principle of scrutiny.

'In fact, it is precisely because we believe a free press is so important that we believe journalists must be held to the highest standards of fairness, accuracy, balance and professionalism.'

A BBC spokesman said: 'Independent journalism is vital to local democracy, and journalists must be free to question those in power without fear of reprisals. We urge both sides in seeking a resolution.'