Media reported to have been banned from council meeting

A SPECIAL meeting of Aberdeen City Council taking place today is reported to have banned the media – along with the general public – from attending.

Says The Press and Journal newspaper, word of the planned exclusion prompted the Labour members on the council to cancel a meeting yesterday with Sue Bruce, the council’s chief executive, in protest.

It is understood the only item on the agenda is the decision to remove £4.5 million of pay rises – known as ‘increments’ – from 6,555 council employees.

Councillor Willie Young, Labour group secretary, is quoted, as saying: “The Press and public have always attended these meetings but the council has made this one private. We are absolutely outraged. We say that that’s absolute rubbish and we say that the public, who in effect pay these wages, deserve to know what is said.”