• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

  • News
  • Things to do
  • Radio
  • Vouchers
  • Categories
    • Business
  • More
    • Comments
    • Advertise
    • Contact us
Supreme Queen at York Barbican

York council given ‘rotten boroughs’ award for ‘airbrushing history’ after censoring official video

Cllr Sonja Crisp when she was Lord Mayor of York. Photograph: City of York Council
Saturday 14 January, 2017 @ 6.03 pm News YorkMix
Share via...

The moment when City of York Council tried to silence one of its citizens has won it a very dubious national honour.

National satirical magazine Private Eye runs a ‘Rotten Boroughs’ column, investigating wrongdoing in councils across the country.

In its latest issue the column has dished out awards for the most glaring examples of “municipal mediocrity and worse” in 2016.

And City of York Council receives the Airbrushing History Award.

This was for the debacle last March, first revealed in YorkMix, when York resident Gwen Swinburn was censored not once but twice.

‘Like she didn’t exist’

Private Eye chronicled the incident shortly after it happened. In its latest issue the magazine explains why it has given York council the award:

Campaigning resident Gwen Swinburn won the gratitude of fellow council taxpayers when she exposed unlawful secret payments to senior staff at York city council.

Swinburn registered to speak on the matter when it was debated by the council in March, but she was stopped by Lord Mayor Sonja Crisp and ejected from the chamber.

All this was edited out of the council’s online footage of the meeting as if Swinburn did not exist.

Only after Cllr Mark Warters threatened to call an extraordinary meeting of the council did officials relent and reinstate the video of Gwen being silenced by the Lord Mayor.

At the time, a spokesperson from City of York Council said the video was edited for unspecified “legal reasons”.

Gwen Swinburn speaking at the City of York Council meeting. Photograph: YouTube

In response to Private Eye‘s award, Gwen told YorkMix that “the appalling behaviour of diva ex-Lord Mayor Sonja Crisp continues to bring City of York Council into disrepute”.

She added:

The fact that the top staff aided and abetted her in her silencing of all criticism from citizens and councillors is the conduct I wouldn’t expect to see in most developing countries let alone York.

I am truly ashamed, as should she be, of this award. Yet nothing was done to hold her to account, nor those top staff for their joint endeavour, yet.


Related YorkMix stories

Gagged! Watch Lord Mayor ‘shut down’ York resident at council meeting – before the episode is edited out of official webcast

Victory for free speech – as censored York council video is finally reinstated

Going round in circles: A tale of democracy, York style

Footer

YorkMix
News 01904 848 766
Email YorkMix news »
5-6 King's Court, Shambles, York  YO1 7LD
YorkMix Radio
General enquiries 01904 375 029
Studio/competitions 01904 375 030
Email YorkMix Radio »
Selby Superbowl, Bawtry Road, Selby  YO8 8NA
YorkMix is a trading name of YorkMix Media Ltd
Registered in England
Company number: 07814727
VAT number: 154 0364 34
© York Sound Ltd

Copyright © 2022 YorkMix Media Ltd

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT