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SALFORD COUNCIL APOLOGISES TO SALFORD STAR FOR ELECTION BAN
 

Star date: 1st July 2014

SALFORD COUNCIL'S TOXIC SPIN DOCTOR OUT OF CONTROL

The Salford Star has received an apology after Salford Council's spin doctor, Matt Finnegan, tried to ban its editor from covering the local election count in May.

"It was wrong" writes the Council's Strategic Director Ben Dolan before apologising. But the Salford Star isn't allowing the matter to end there. The Council's toxic spin doctor is out of control and something needs to be done.

Full details here…

Salford Council's Strategic Director Ben Dolan, who is also the city's Returning Officer, has apologised to the editor of the Salford Star after Matt Finnegan, the Council's head of communications, tried to ban him from the local election count in May.

Finnegan told a press agency that Star editor, Stephen Kingston, would not be allowed entry into the count, despite the Salford Star having covered the election for the past seven years.

After the intervention of Conservative opposition leader, Councillor Karen Garrido, and contact with the Electoral Commission it was established that Mayor Ian Stewart's spin doctor had absolutely no authority to attempt such a ban. After emails to both the Returning Officer and Matt Finnegan (who never replied) the Salford Star was eventually allowed into the election count.

After an official complaint, yesterday Ben Dolan wrote to the Salford Star editor to apologise…

"It was wrong that it was initially indicated that you may not be officially accredited as a member of the press to attend on election day" he wrote "This was subsequently rectified and accreditation was afforded. I would offer you my personal apology for this error."

The Salford Star is not happy at all with this statement and is continuing the action against Matt Finnegan…

"How pathetic that Ben Dolan has to offer his `personal apology' rather than Matt Finnegan, who attempted the ban in the first place – where is his apology?" says Star editor Stephen Kingston "The complaint wasn't against the Returning Officer, it was against the Mayor's spin doctor who is running Salford like some banana republic.

"I think that a case of unprofessional conduct by Matt Finnegan couldn't be clearer" he adds "So what punishment is he receiving? None! Instead the Returning Officer – who faced a hefty personal fine for trying to ban a journalist without police advice – has apologised, when the original `offence' had nothing to do with him.

"I have replied to Ben Dolan asking what actions will be taken against Finnegan and the complaint continues" he explains "This whole episode makes you wonder what the hell is going on at the Civic Centre. The Mayor's toxic spin doctor is out of control."

Back in March, freelance journalist Bernadette Hyland was researching an article on widening access to classical music in the city and interviewed an attendee at one of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra concerts.

The lady said she was concerned about the amount of public money the BBC Phil was receiving at a time of cuts to services for vulnerable people, and Bernadette wrote to Salford Mayor Ian Stewart, via the Council's press office, to get a comment...

Bernadette was absolutely horrified to receive a reply from Matthew Finnegan…

"Who are you researching the article for?... Are you a member of the NUJ?
…Do you have the name/address of the Salford resident you spoke to?... Why was she at the Phil concert, if she doesn't think they should be supported by the city council?"

Bernadette, a member of the NUJ, wrote back to Finnegan… `presumably when you were a journalist you did not disclose your sources? What trade union are you in?' and then included his comments in the subsequent article for Contributoria (see here).

This exchange shows a bit more of the working of the Council's so-called Assistant Director of Communications in his dealings with journalists. Any challenging to the Council or Mayor is seen as treason, almost.

Meanwhile, Salford Council's press office continues to usually ignore Salford Star requests for quotes or comments; more and more Labour councillors are complaining (off the record, of course) about how Finnegan goes about his business, and the Mayor's initial words on being elected in May 2012 seem more like a joke every day…

"We as politicians are not very good at communicating with the public" Ian Stewart said "That's our fault as politicians, we need to get better at that. Getting better at communication means that we as a Council must be more open and transparent with the public. I will seek to generate that openness and transparency in future…"

See also previous related Salford Star articles...

* Salford Council Political Spin Doctor Horror - click here

* Salford Council's amazing PR outburst against the Salford Star - click here

* China On The Irwell (via the Electoral Reform Society) - click here

 
Gill wrote
at 15:23:23 on 15 January 2016
Thank you Salford star for exposing corruption within SCC PFI and Peel Holdings. Shame Your not a national newspaper !
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Gill Grady wrote
at 15:23:18 on 15 January 2016
I have had dealing with SCC regarding a ten year negligence dispute over a tree planted to close to my garden fence.. It finally uprooted and smashed through the garden fences a few week ago. All council departments are unaccountable. Keepmoat are just a gang of cowboys (I speak from personal experience only) after eight weeks Im still waiting for what I know to be an inferior fence to replace the damage. I found the council to be underhaded and slow to react after many phone call and emails I was told that the PFI run the council and the Mayor is defunct of power and is not available to speak to constituents It seems the council as sold its soul to the PFI and Peel holdings it no longer represents the people of Salford I find this not only disappointing but very worrying that a Labour council is controlled by big businesses with Tory interests this is not what the poeple of Salford voted for. Ian Stewart's as left a legacy of missed opportunity and ultamitlly taking us back in time to Tory controls. I can only hope that the next Mayor will be politically asute enough to fight for the best deal possible for Salford and hounor the platform on which he may be elected.
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PC4EVER wrote
at 19:56:07 on 07 July 2014
So, Ian Stewart refers to himself as a politician re '...We as politicians are not very good at communicating with the public" Ian Stewart said "That's our fault as politicians, we need to get better at that. Getting better at communication means that we as a Council must be more open and transparent with the public. I will seek to generate that openness and transparency in future…" hmmm? First he and his fellow bandits needs to start NOT making decisions behind closed doors about selling off land classed as public open space land and negotiating for 2 years with a firm of developers and then giving them a 6 months exclusivity deal to buy should the proposal go through. All before residents are told who are then only given 2 weeks, even less for some, to object. How is behaviour like that showing any 'openness' or 'transparency'? So shady and dark it's unbelievable and stinks to high heaven to boot. As for them being 'politicians' well that's debateable. Sorry but behave like a dodgy bunch of immoral cowboys and you tend to get tarred like one!!
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Sue Lees wrote
at 08:06:19 on 04 July 2014
I'm waiting for the Salford Star to become a national newspaper. Come on, we need you!
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Paul Gerrard wrote
at 21:25:45 on 02 July 2014
Well done to the Salford Star for not letting this rest. Ben Dolan as Returning Officer is under a legal obligation to allow open reporting of the election process and Finnegan will have had his wrist slapped over this. He can spike a story but he can't ban a journalist! However much he'd like to. I can't see this leading to a change of approach at the Civic, though. Stalin rules - not ok.
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David cameron wrote
at 21:25:07 on 02 July 2014
I think the apology is more to do with the salford star going back in to print in September, the Labour Party are shitting them selves knowing that what they have done in salford ie spending our money on such things as salford reds, BBC orchestras, fountains, bridges, peel holdings and then closing down vital services. All this is soon going to be put through people's letter boxes, up to now all these extravagant waste of money projects have been hidden from the majority of the salford public because papers like the Manchester evening news, salford labour council advertiser and the BBC refuse to report this salford labour councils waste of salford tax payers money. Ian Stewart and labour don't like the thought that they can't hide the truth from the majority no longer and this is what they fear the most, not being able to control the news as they have done with the above papers. Seems that in light of the salford star going back in to print, Stewart and labour are going to try to go on the charm offence with the salford star to try to nullify the treat the star poses to this labour dictatorship in salford
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Milton wrote
at 21:23:41 on 02 July 2014
So this is what Mayor Greedy means by ' openness and transparency '. Can anyone really be surprised at the usual bullshit oozing from a grossly overpaid career politician - parasite ? It really is no surprised that the electorate are so pissed-off with politicians . Still 2744 days to put up with this parasite . And that's 2744 days to many .
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Gary Wheeler wrote
at 06:13:51 on 02 July 2014
I spoke to my local Labour Cllr recently about the way in which the local party is heading and to say the least they were not impressed. I got the impression that the mayors unelected sidekick tells Cllrs what they can and can't say in public, my Cllr was certainly not a fan of his, but just like the rest of them this Cllr does not have the balls to stand up to Mr Mayor & Mr Spin. If all the 52 Labour Cllrs stood together in "UNION" and that is what the Labour party is supposed to be about standing together, then they could render Mr Mayor powerless and disregardable. Unfortunatly only about nine of them seem to have the balls they were born with from what I hear so Mr Selfish will continue his rain of terror in self serving Salford. Remember folks to continue suffering just cross the box of the spineless red rose candidate at the election.
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wrote
at 06:13:48 on 02 July 2014
Its sad that SCC want to shut down any voice of dissent. It make you wonder what they are afraid of...surely it couldn't be the truth could it? Its a sorry state of affairs when even its own local employees have nothing good to say about its management decisions.
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Brian F Kirkham wrote
at 06:13:28 on 02 July 2014
As this article is about the mayors spin doctor - i'll deal with two issues separately. Firstly, is the councils ability to deal with a simple enquiry without going into meltdown...Mr Mayor has a lovely facebook (and twitter) page and I've asked the simple question - You built a new school on the old footprint on the site of the old ordsall estate WHEN are your team going to clean up the public pathways (a public right of way) - I sent this two or three weeks ago - it was sent (Sky are v.good on these things). As of yet - nothing from mr mayor or his spin doctor apart from a tweet saying he (or his spin doctor) couldn't quite get the question... Secondly, seems to be the non-co operation angle by some of the mayors men and publications that don't subscribe to his view...whether or not I like the current executive...I have to agree with the viewpoint this new mayor system - is Still in its infancy...and I'm not paying for a supposed freesheet (30 or More so pence) just to read the polarised views coming out of Salford's Politicians...in its current format the advertiser does just that. Time for the ostriches to rise their heads from their holes at Chorley House and allow us a voice...or have I been transported to Stalinist Russia the last few months?
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wrote
at 06:13:09 on 02 July 2014
Sewerat's Political Puppet must be sacked for incompetence . Sewerat must resign if he has any integrity .. But we know he has none , as he continuously drains the taxpayers with his obscene ' salary '
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Salfordonion wrote
at 17:00:29 on 01 July 2014
From what I see of the Mayor where I work in Swinton Kremlin the Mayor Ian Stewart (who reads the Salford Star) doesn't fart without Finnegan being there to comment on the odour!
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