Labour councillors have been accused of spreading “political propaganda” at public meetings about the future of Plymouth’s libraries.
Cllr Neil Hendy, Labour member for Efford and Lipson, gave out pamphlets ahead of a consultation event at Efford library last month.
They said: “Efford residents are angry at Tory/UKIP plans to close their library.”
This was brought to the attention of the council’s chief legal officer, and a message was sent to all councillors warning about “political neutrality” while the consultation is still live.
Tory council leader Ian Bowyer said: “The Labour councillors up in Efford took the trouble to put their leaflets on the seats of the potential audience at that public consultation.
“My view is that that was not the right thing to do. This is a public consultation after all, I don’t think they should be issuing what is effectively political propaganda.
“The monitoring officer’s email went out to all members, reminding them that we should not be running the risk of confusing members of the public as to what literature they get.
“We would seek to make our views known to local residents, but not by seeking to influence the wider community in advance of the public consultation starting.
“Putting Labour Party leaflets on the seats in the meeting room is not the way to do it.”
David Shepperd, PCC’s head of legal services, told councillor by e-mail: “Happy for you politicians to leaflet all you like, but cannot have a situation where the political leaflets are at a meeting called by officers as part of the consultation.
“It goes to issues of political neutrality of council officers as referenced in the protocol on member/officer relations and simply cannot be allowed to happen without challenge.”
Labour are querying whether their actions were against council rules.
A PCC spokeswoman declined to comment.
Cllr Hendy said: “I gave out some leaflets to people making them aware of my ‘mass read, write and craft’ event this Saturday.
“I put a few on some of the seats and gave some out to members of the public who I represent.
“I have now heard there has been a complaint against me.
“These are the people I represent. They came to stand up for their library and I am not able to communicate or give them leaflets to tell them about it.
“I am totally amazed. I don’t know where this has come from, I’m really gobsmacked.
“Apparently this is some sort of rule, but where is it written?”
Labour leader Tudor Evans said: “We’ve been told we have to obtain permission off the organisers of the meeting in order to do it.
“It was a local councillor that distributed the leaflets to his constituents about the library being slated for closure in his ward. This is censorship, isn’t it?”
The libraries consultation runs until April 19.
Article originally published by Plymouth Herald
