POLITICAL rivals have clashed over planned changes to City of York Council’s media arrangements.

The authority’s Labour leaders are recommending changes to its constitution to allow members of its cabinet to be quoted in official council press releases on policy matters.

The move has been criticised by the opposing Liberal Democrats, who claim it would politicise council press officers. The proposed changes are set to go before the full council later this month.

Lib Dem leader, Coun Carol Runciman, said: “Until now, the council press office has dealt with corporate matters, issuing important information on things like road closures or service updates, while political press releases are issued by party groups.

“It helped ensure the council press office was not under pressure to act as a party political PR agency.”

But council leader James Alexander said: “The vast majority of councils operate the opposite way to how the Lib Dem-led council did, namely with cabinet member accountability when fronting the promotion of council policy.

“It is ridiculous to have somebody paid from the public purse as a cabinet member and not be publicly accountable for their decisions. Those decisions need to come from named figures, rather than faceless bureaucrats.”