COUNCIL bosses in York say they will be demanding a correction from satirical magazine Private Eye over an ‘incorrect’ article about disabled access at the city’s newly-refurbished council chamber next to the Guildhall.

In a piece in the ‘Rotten Boroughs’ section in its latest edition, the magazine claims that the council chamber, just refurbished at a cost of £25 million (and 'only £5 million over budget'), could not be used for a recent full council meeting because of a lack of wheelchair access.

“The refurbed chamber has just one space for a wheelchair or mobility scooter in the public gallery,” the magazine says.

“York already has something of a reputation for being an unwelcoming place for the disabled after a row over the banning of blue badge holders from the city centre and the removal of disabled spaces from a car park.

“Someone must have decided that photos of people in wheelchairs in corridors, having been excluded from a council meeting, might not be a good look.

“So the meeting was moved to York’s medieval Main Hall instead … because it has better wheelchair access.”

But the council has denied that the reason for moving the meeting was related to wheelchair access.

“We’d like to make it clear that the Private Eye article is incorrect,” a spokesperson said.

“The meeting was moved for Covid reasons and we will be seeking a correction from Private Eye.”

Quizzed about what provisions had been made for wheelchair access in the refurbished building, the council added: “The public gallery has been adapted to allow access for a wheelchair user. If needed further space is available in the members section of the historic council chamber.”