Tories plan political control of Council Communications

11.26.00am GMT Mon 24th Mar 2003

The new Tory Council plans to outsource the management of its Communications and Media team to Westminster City Council in a move seen by many as an attempt to get more political control of the 'messages' being put out to the local press.

Westminster City Council's press team is staffed by several ex-Tory Central Office spin-doctors and many are concerned that the politically neutral status of Richmond's press office will be seriously undermined by this move.

Lib Dem Councillor Stephen Knight, Opposition spokesperson for Strategy and Finance, said: "I am very worried by this move, which looks set to bring a politically biased culture to a Council service that has always fiercely guarded its public sector political neutrality."

"The Council's media team is meant to provide straight unbiased information to the local press. It is particularly important that a highly sensitive service like the press team are not only impartial but seen to be impartial too."