A COUNCIL has used its district newsletter to launch an attack on a local newspaper.

Wear Valley District Council has included a ten point tirade against the non-profit making Weardale Gazette in the latest edition of its free information sheet, called Wear Valley Matters.

The Gazette, produced in Stanhope, claims to speak for the people of Weardale and is largely written by volunteers. It has started selling fortnightly instead of monthly and has a circulation of 2,500.

Recent articles have attacked the council over a planning issue relating to a business run by the brother of editor Anita Atkinson and criticised increases in members' allowances.

The council accuses the Gazette of writing inaccurate, unfair and unbalanced stories about its activities. It claims the paper is "regularly ill-mannered and rude about elected public servants", is ignorant about local government finance and ignores press industry guidelines.

Its attack on the Gazette said: "Public agencies are regularly misquoted, facts get inaccurately reported and decisions get misunderstood. Patience and good humour are the appropriate response but there is a limit and the Gazette, in our opinion, has crossed it."

Council leader Olive Brown said: "We accept that we will be subject to criticism because that is part of the democratic process.

"We have no wish to cause trouble. We simply want to be treated with fairness and honesty."

But Mrs Atkinson said: "I consider I write more positive articles about the council than negative ones and I certainly can't see where I have been ill-mannered and rude in print.

"This has left me totally distressed. It is a personal insult. I am the first to admit that I am not professionally trained but people tell us we only write what they are thinking."