Waltham Forest Council has defied orders to stop publishing its illegal newsletter - and will now take the government to court. 

The authority wants to fight the Secretary of State at a Judicial Review hearing over the Waltham Forest News saga. 

It has been ordered to stop printing the freesheet twice a month - at a cost of £417,000 a year for the last seven years - but has flouted every order. 

READ MORE: Council continues to fight government order

In April, the Secretary of State ordered them to stop, something which the council ignored.

Bosses at the council are questioning the legality of the direction, issued under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. 

On June 5, a Waltham Forest Council cabinet meeting will be held, where councillors are being reccomended to approve an application for a court hearing.

READ MORE: Council continues to defy government guidelines with freesheet

Alex Powell, a deputy director in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, wrote a letter expressing the terms of the directive to Martin Esom, Waltham Forest Council's chief executive.

In the letter, he wrote: "The Secretary of State has always been clear that the purpose of the publicity code is to prevent unfair competition with local newspapers, print media. This remains unchanged.

"The council acknowledged in its representation of April 29, 2014 that the cost of producing their fortnightly newspaper is greater than the projected cost of placing statutory notices in the independent press.

READ MORE: Council newsletter is 'ludicrous waste of money'

"The Secretary of State does not accept the authority’s arguments that making the proposed direction would be unlawful.

"If as the Secretary of State believes the direction is rational, fair and necessary, these points do not add anything.

He added: "The Secretary of State does not agree that it would be an abuse of power to make a direction. There can be no question of procedural unfairness."

READ MORE: Council freesheet loses £150,000 in two years

The directive follows years of resident complaints and political opposition to the newsletter.

The council has been advised to print it four times a year, from September, instead, but has refused.

Waltham Forest Conservatives have welcomed the decision by the secretary of state for housing and local government.

Leader of Waltham Forest Conservatives, Cllr Alan Siggers, said: "The press, any press, should serve the people, not those in power.

"Waltham Forest's Labour leadership has flouted the law for over seven years, costing Waltham Forest residents well over £1m in that time and taking valuable revenue away from independent local newspapers.

"Let’s hope that this time the Council obeys the law and follows the direction.

"Cutting the publication of Waltham Forest News will save over £150,000 every year in delivery costs alone.

"Given the recent spate of violent and gang related crime in the borough, we hope the council considers diverting this money to pay for additional policing in partnership with the Metropolitan Police."

In 2017, the London Assembly’s August Economy Committee report said: "Local newspapers have, in some cases, been negatively affected by local authorities regularly publishing their own newsletters.

"While these newsletters have their place, they should not be a substitute for local news.

"The Government’s intervention to clamp down on how frequently these publications are produced will help local newspapers.”

Waltham Forest Council have been contacted for comment.