The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for urgent legislation to enable councils to run remote meetings in response to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Its chair, Councillor James Jamieson, has issued a statement saying the virus is raising a new public health threat and remote meetings are necessary to maintain council business.
Last year the Government suspended the requirement for councils to hold meetings at a physical location, paving the way for widespread use of video conferencing technology, but the prospects for retaining the more relaxed rules were stifled in April of this year by a High Court ruling against.
Jamieson said: “Holding face-to-face council meetings, with supporting staff, could easily involve up to 200 people in one room even before adding in members of the public and reporters. This is an unnecessary public health risk for elected members and officers to take when councils have demonstrated over the pandemic that it is possible to hold formal decision making meetings in a remote or hybrid manner.”
He added: “Since the emergence of Omicron, we’ve seen an increasing number of councils having to cancel meetings, restrict attendance and reduce items for discussion in an attempt to reduce the risks of transmission. These are decisions taken only as a last resort and are not a long term solution.
“By introducing emergency legislation to allow councils to hold remote or hybrid meetings, councils will be taking further steps to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant as well as ensuring councils can continue to make democratic decisions, even during times of emergency.”
Survey findings
He also pointed to a recently published LGA survey on the impact of a return to in-person meetings this year. Its key findings include that 72% of respondents thought that councillor attendance had declined; 73% thought that public attendance was also down; 53% thought it had adversely affected engagement with members of the public; and 84% thought the costs of statutory council meetings had increased.
In response, a spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing commented: “We recognise there will be concerns about the risks of holding face-to-face meetings. It is for councils to apply the Covid-19 guidance and ensure meetings take place safely.
“The Government will work closely with councils and representatives to ensure they understand and are aware of the full range of options available to them to minimise risks and concerns.
“We have considered the responses to the call for evidence which closed on 17 June to gather views and inform a longer term decision about whether to make express provision for councils to meet remotely on a permanent basis and we will be responding shortly.”
Image from iStock, Kevin Alexander George
