Question to Council: 22 April 2021

At the full meeting of Medway council on 22 April, I was due to ask Cllr Rupert Turpin, the portfolio holder for business management, to commit to ensuring live streaming of council meetings continues when physical meetings resume.

The Question

Given the Covid pandemic has not yet passed and a large proportion of people have not yet been vaccinated, I am sure the portfolio holder will share my concern that statutory provision for virtual council meetings is not being renewed.

One of the positives to have come out of a challenging year is the increased accessibility of council meetings, allowing people to follow proceedings online. Even before the pandemic, many local authorities allowed remote access to council meetings for residents, ensuring people who, for whatever reason, could not attend meetings in person could still see their elected representatives working for them. Will the portfolio holder therefore commit to ensuring live streaming of meetings continues, even beyond 21 June, so that the increased accessibility and transparency of council meetings continues when the Council returns to physical meetings?

The Response

Unfortunately, the time limit for public questions was reached before my question could be asked. Instead, I received a written response from Cllr Turpin.

Thank you for your question, Mr Collins Rosell.

All local authorities have been required, in law, to livestream meetings during the pandemic and although the legislation permitting remote meetings is due to end on 6 May, the Government has advised us to continue to livestream meetings until 21 June, which at the moment, is the date when it is hoped that all legal limits on social contact can be lifted. This matter will be kept under review pending any further Government advice.

The Background

With the introduction of the “stay at home” order and restrictions on gatherings at the start of the first lockdown in March 2020, it was immediately apparent that council meetings could not be held in their usual form.

With no way of knowing how long restrictions would last and local authority business needing to continue, the government introduced The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020. These regulations allowed local authorities to hold meetings virtually, but only until 7 May 2021.

Last month, it was announced that the government would not be extending these regulations, meaning that in-person meetings must resume after 7 May. The government is encouraging local authorities to continue to provide remote access to meetings for members of the public until at least 21 June, when the government hopes to lift all restrictions on indoor gatherings, but there is no legal requirement for them to do so.

Live streaming council meetings was not new in March 2020 – many local authorities have been doing this for some time – but it was new to Medway council. I believe that live streaming increases accessibility and transparency of council meetings – allowing people who may have difficulties traveling late at night, are unable to attend meetings due to work, etc., to continue to follow meetings online – and should continue, particularly given Medway council have proven over the past year that they have the requisite technology to do so.