PLANS to restrict town councillors from speaking to the Press have been relaxed.

Barnard Castle Town Council stated that councillors can to talk to the media, but must ensure that their personal views are not represented as those of the whole council.

The decision comes after the council's modernisation committee drafted a media protocol that said if councillors were contacted by a journalist about council business, they should be referred to the clerk unless the information requested is of such a technical or specialist nature that it can only be provided by an individual councillor.

After discussion this week, it was agreed that councillors can speak to reporters on any subject as long as their comments were seen as personal.