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A Reform UK local government has rescinded its prohibition on journalists from the area's biggest regional publication after being threatened with legal action over infringing on the publication's freedom of expression.

The Notts council, which has been led by Reform since the local elections earlier this year, stated it was “committed to the values of transparency” after removing the restrictions it had imposed on reporters from the Nottingham Post and its online platform.

The newspaper will now once again be invited to public council events and will be added to the council’s distribution list for press releases. The ban had been enforced for over four weeks and had been criticized by political leaders and local MPs.

“The council affirms that your clients are and remain eligible to attend functions, sessions which are publicly accessible,” an official communication states.

The climbdown came just a short time after the outlet submitted the council with a legal letter outlining additional measures it was contemplating taking.

The company argued the council was breaching local government regulations and a key provision of the European convention on human rights (ECHR), which safeguards freedom of expression and the right to express opinions “freely without state intervention”.

The ban was imposed by the council’s leader, after he objected to an report about divisions in his party over municipal restructuring proposals.

A letter from the county council’s legal affairs manager stated the measures had been the result of some “misunderstanding or misunderstanding”.

It remains unclear whether the council leader is willing to be interviewed by the publication.

The editor of the publication commented: “I’m pleased this unusual prohibition has been lifted and the issue finally resolved so that we can proceed to get on with our work as we always have.

“That means asking questions of elected council officials, having entry to government data and gatherings and ensuring accountability on behalf of our communities in the region.

“This sends a firm message that the press will not yield if our rights are challenged.”

The editor had earlier remarked the incident was a troubling indication of things to come should the party form the next government.

The restriction had previously been partly rolled back when it was withdrawn from a team of publicly supported civic reporters that the paper also manages. However, the restrictions stayed enforced on other journalists until now.