Brent Council And Freedom Of The Press

EDM number 116 in 1993-94, proposed by Ken Livingstone on 26/11/1993.

That this House notes with concern that in June the Chief Executive of Conservative controlled Brent Council authorised the dispatch of a warning letter to the North West London Newspaper Group, complaining that the Kilburn Times and Willesden and Brent Chronicles were publishing too many stories critical of the Council, which is not surprising given that 25 per cent. of all complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman for South East England are complaints against Brent Council, and that the Council would have to reconsider its advertising policy if this continued that a further communication arrived at the papers concerned saying that as the situation had not improved, council officers are being advised to review each department's placement of adverts; records its congratulations to the papers concerned that they have refused to give in to this underhand intimidation; and calls on the Chief Executive of Brent Council, Mr Charles Wood, to explain why these actions have not been (1) reported to any committee at the Council or (2) notified to the leaders of the Labour and Liberal Democrat opposition groups; and on whose authority or at whose request he instructed these actions to be taken.

This motion has been signed by a total of 38 MPs.