The Green Party has accused mayor Marvin Rees of 'weak leadership' and 'attempting to hide from accountability' over his ban on Local Democracy Reporters attending his fortnightly briefing. It comes after the BBC-funded reporters at Bristol Live were told they were not welcome at the press conference.
That has led to a boycott by Bristol Live and organisations including the BBC, ITV, Bristol 24/7 and Bristol World. The move followed a briefing where an LDR's right to ask about Mr Rees' air travel to a TED talk in Vancouver on climate change was called into question.
Green councillor Ed Plowden said: “This disgraceful action is particularly concerning, given that the Council's publicly funded Press Office is supporting this behaviour, when its job is to serve the City and people of Bristol, not to support partisan politics or prop up the fragile ego of a single politician. I have tabled a motion calling on the Council's legal department to examine the role of the Council’s Press Office in light of this situation.
