Leeds open day

19 February 2008

PCC representatives visited Leeds in February, for the 10th in its programme of Open Days. Over 40 attendees from a range of backgrounds – including the NHS, Leeds City Council, ITV, community groups as well as a number of students from local colleges – joined in a lively debate at the city’s Town Hall about newspaper and magazine regulation.

After a brief introduction to the work of the PCC, the PCC’s Chairman, Sir Christopher Meyer, invited the audience to put their questions to a panel of experts, which consisted of the PCC’s Director, Tim Toulmin; Peter Charlton, editor of the Yorkshire Post; and Vivien Hepworth, one of the PCC’s lay Commissioners.

Topics covered over the course of the afternoon included: the relationship between a publicly-accountable organisation and the media; the sharp increase in the number of complaints to the PCC over the past year; the process by which Commissioners and the PCC’s Chairman are appointed; crime reporting in the local press; and the press system of self-regulation in general. Questions at the PCC's Open Days are not tabled in advance and, although invitations are sent to individuals and organisations who might have a specific interest in attending, widescale advertising in the local media encourages anyone with a general interest in the press to come along.

Prior to the Q&A session, PCC staff also ran a complaints surgery, which allowed people who had a particular problem or query to discuss it in private, or to seek some general advice. This can be particularly useful for sensitive matters or for people who have not used the PCC’s service before and need some guidance.

The PCC has held two Open Days a year since 2003. Details about further Open Days in 2008 will be posted on this website in due course. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Tonia Milton, Information and Events Manager on 020 7831 0022 or tonia.milton@pcc.org.uk.