A ROW between a satirical magazine and York council bosses has intensified.

The Press reported back in August how City of York Council demanded a correction from Private Eye over an ‘incorrect’ article about disabled access at the city’s newly-refurbished council chamber next to the Guildhall.

In a piece in their ‘Rotten Boroughs’ section, the magazine claimed that the council chamber, just refurbished at a cost of £25 million (and 'only £5 million over budget'), could not be used for a full council meeting because of a lack of wheelchair access.

At the time the council council denied that the reason for moving the meeting was related to wheelchair access.

“We’d like to make it clear that the Private Eye article is incorrect,” a spokesperson said.

“The meeting was moved for Covid reasons and we will be seeking a correction from Private Eye.”

Quizzed about what provisions had been made for wheelchair access in the refurbished building, the council added: “The public gallery has been adapted to allow access for a wheelchair user. If needed further space is available in the members section of the historic council chamber.”

Now, in their latest edition, the Rotten Boroughs column reads: "More embarrassment for York city council, whose failure to provide adequate provision for disabled people in the newly refurbished Guildhall we wrote about in issue 1578.

"After our article appeared, the council's PR team demanded a correction.

"A meeting had been moved from the council chamber to another room not because of inadequate disabled access but "because of Covid", they said - the universal excuse de nos jours.

"But they could only claim the disabled access in the council chamber (just one wheelchair space) was adequate if an equality impact assessment (a legal requirement) had taken place for the er refurbished building.

"Sources say this never happened. Our requests for clarification from the council's "communications" department have, strangely, drawn a blank."

The Press contacted City of York Council over the issue on Monday and we have yet to hear back. When we do we will print their response.