Ashfield Council hit back after MP Lee Anderson's 'tenancy' comment about 'criticising local councillors on social media'

In his weekly column for your Chad, Mr Anderson, Conservative MP for Ashfield, claimed the Ashfield Independents-led Ashfield Council had imposed severe restrictions on its council house tenants, including a ban on ‘criticising local councillors on social media’.

Highlighting the council condition, he said: “I have already received dozens of concerned messages from council house tenants who feel if they criticise the council online, they run the risk of becoming homeless.”

However, a councillor claimed Mr Anderson was partly responsible for the clause from his time as a Labour councillor on the authority.

Coun David Hennigan, council cabinet member for corporate communications said: “The inclusion of the word 'councillors' was inserted in tenancy agreements in May 2015 by the previous Labour Council.

“Mr Anderson should know this as he was a Labour councillor at the time, an active part of the Labour Administration, and voted for the changes.

“Indeed, he was the chairman of the main scrutiny committee that approved the changes.

“Mr Anderson is therefore a hypocrite who yet again is slinging mud in another synthetic attempt to distract residents from the disaster unfolding within his own Conservative Government, one that is hurting so many Ashfield residents in a Tory-caused cost-of-living crisis.”

Paul Parkinson, council deputy chief executive and director of housing and assets, said: “A tenancy agreement is based around proportionality.

“One of the proposed new clauses under the anti-social behaviour section is aimed at protecting council employees and contractors from abuse and harassment while undertaking their job.

“The wording is simply a refreshed paragraph from the existing 2015 agreement and numerous examples of this clause can be found in Local Authority tenancy agreements across the land.

“It would not be proportionate to take action against tenants who simply express a view or opinion of the service, whether positive or negative.

“However, should a tenant make direct threats or harass an employee to the point of it being a criminal matter, then formal action may follow to address and resolve the issue.”