Teignbridge Virtual Meetings Backed by Councillors

Local councils urge the government to allow flexibility for how council meetings are held based on the "needs of residents and councillors."

07:10 09 January 2022

Local councils are calling for a permanent change to the law to allow them to hold meetings in ways that will 'suit the local context and needs of residents and councillors' amid the spread of the Omicron Covid variant. 

 

English councils were temporarily permitted by the government to hold meetings virtually in the pandemic until May 2021. After this date, council members were mandated to be physically present to vote on various issues although they were allowed to contribute to discussions remotely. 

 

Leader Alan Connett (Lib Dem, Kenton & Starcross) said: "The temporary enabling of virtual council meetings in response to the coronavirus pandemic allowed the council to continue making democratic decisions efficiently, transparently and safely without the need for physical meetings in one place."

 

"We welcomed the return to in-person meetings where they can safely and efficiently take place, but also recognise the benefits to democracy of providing flexible meeting options, including opening up local democratic decision-making and creating a more accessible experience for councillors and the public."

 

He added: "With the ascendancy of Omicron, it does strike me… that councils do need the flexibility to meet remotely and continue council business and for everyone’s safety – as well as being a modern way of working."