Comments on: ‘Ask before you film’ council protocol rejected as Birmingham bloggers sense victory

By: Pauline Geoghegan

Pauline Geoghegan — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:25:11 +0000

As you know I (Pauline Geoghegan) have been been running “Politics in Brum” reporting news on twitter and attending Birmingham city council meetings for three years. I am therefore not an anonymous “blogger” but sit at the press table alongside Paul Dale (blogger) Chamberlain Files and Neil Elkes who writes for the Bham Mail & the Bham Post.
I will be writing my own account of events that erupted in-necessarily within Birmingham’s council chamber. I can assure you there was not a shred of “temerity” in my actions. In contrast, David Tatlow, the Director of legal services was fully aware that I had written to both himself and Stephen Hughes in July 2013 to clarify that I would want to occasionally take photos and film briefly. He replied in writing that there was no rule forbidding such actions and that HE would notify chairs of committees. I will give my view on his failure to furnish The Lord Mayor with these facts in my own account. I can of course support this statement with his email to me. The event has exposed Bham city council’s obsession with control of information and news, and contempt for the public’s right to know.

By: Gerry

Gerry — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 13:07:59 +0000

Open local government is always good and as long as those filming and recording do not have a negative impact on meetings, I attended a scrutiny meeting last year where a person walked around the table filming everyone, needless to say it was one of Cllr. Waseem Zaffar’s meeting.

A victory for @politicsinbrum blogger.

By: Bethertine Itakuaje

Bethertine Itakuaje — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 20:11:49 +0000

I don’t see why Mr Tatlow would come up with this of his own initiative. Surely as an officer he would never be in a position to ‘lead’ on policy.

Seems to me that either someone has put him up to it, or there’s a deficit of democracy at BCC.

By: johnclancy

johnclancy — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 18:24:25 +0000

‘Ask before you film’ council protocol rejected as Birmingham bloggers sense victory http://t.co/XytQE15CjO via @@chamberlainfile

By: DJSoup

DJSoup — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 17:53:21 +0000

.@ChamberlainFile: ‘Ask before you film’ council protocol rejected as Birmingham bloggers sense victory: http://t.co/VpdSxrqEYs

By: politicsinbrum

politicsinbrum — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 17:38:30 +0000

“@ChamberlainFile: ‘Ask before you film’ council protocol rejected as Birmingham bloggers sense victory: http://t.co/IDAawzB8E9 < Hurrah !!!

By: urbancomms

urbancomms — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 17:25:01 +0000

@BhamCityCouncil having rethink about light shining on proceedings. http://t.co/D21n3jN9t9 Culture change task for @MKMRogers on arrival.

By: Rowan_Draper

Rowan_Draper — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 16:09:23 +0000

‘Ask before you film’ council protocol rejected as Birmingham bloggers sense victory: http://t.co/XEVrewuvfX (cc: @StaffordBC @StaffsNews)