Flintshire Councillors back motion on Sun newspaper

Flintshire Councillors have backed a motion this afternoon to support retailers and newspaper vendors in the county who choose not to sell the Sun newspaper.

Councillors also voted to support to the national campaign by ‘Total Eclipse of the Sun’ over the newspapers coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.

The motion proposed by Councillors Bernie Attridge and Kevin Hughes says;

“We express our support for those affected by the disaster and commend the continuing efforts of relatives and friends of the victims in their search for justice.

We condemn the behaviour of the Sun newspaper and we as a council will support any Flintshire retailer or newspaper vendor that choose not to sell the Sun newspaper.”

We lend our support to the campaign ‘Total Eclipse of the Sun’ in solidarity with fellow councils in the North West of the United Kingdom”

During a full council meeting on Wednesday afternoon 36 Councillors voted to carry the motion, six voted against while 18 abstained.

The proposal originally sought to ban people from entering council offices with a copy of the paper, and to ban Sun journalists from entering council buildings – including to report on council meetings.

The proposal agreed today was amended due to issues around legality and now seeks to support retailers who choose not to sell the newspaper while backing the wider ‘Total Eclipse of the Sun’ campaign.

Shadow Local Government Secretary, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, called that plan a “typically spiteful move from a Labour Party which no longer believes in free speech, or a free press” and claimed Cllr Attridge had “climbed down” over the motion.

Cllr Attridge responded via social media saying;

“Afraid no climb down we have made sure that what I proposed was lawful and force able. Neither could we ban or curtail freedom of speech.”