Always Shown as one of Rutland County Councils Poo...

Always Shown as one of Rutland County Councils Poorest Performing Departments.

Private Eye

Those Rotten Boroughs
Awards in full

Municipal mischief, Issue 1357

RUTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL
LEGAL BULLIES
OF THE YEAR

Runners-up Scarborough borough
council threatened to close down a website,
Real Whitby, which had carried embarrassing
stories about councillors. Chief legal officer
Lisa Dixon demanded that defamatory
and untrue material be removed.
Real Whitby asked for examples,
but Dixon could not provide any.

Winners Rutland county council,


money to seek an injunction against
three of its own councillors
(the Rutland Anti-Corruption Party )
who had been asking awkward questions.

The council tested the water by
prosecuting another critic, blogger Martin
Brookes, for harassing and stalking
chief exec Helen Briggs.

District judge John Temperley found
Brookes not guilty, declaring:

Freedom of expression is an essential
function of a democratic society.

It is applicable also to those who offend
and shock.

A hero on the bench!