The Covid19 pandemic has resulted in lockdown of the country and as a result disruption to the way in which Councils operate and are able to deliver services. The Government has today laid down the regulation for enabling councillors to meet virtually without being physically present in the room.
The Coronavirus Act was passed by Parliament at the end of last week and it contained s78 which dealt with the issue of Local Authority Meetings. The Act didn’t contain any detail itself so councils have had to wait for the Secretary of State to publish regulations to set out the detail. These regulations have now been published this afternoon and come into force on Saturday 4th April 2020.
The new emergency legislation has issued the regulations that will give local authorities greater flexibility in the conduct of meetings, including allowing members to attend remotely, and for public and press access to those meetings
The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/392/contents/made will come into force on 4 April.
They apply to local authority meetings and police and crime panel meetings that are required to be held, or held, before 7 May 2021.
The Explanatory Memorandum can be read here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/392/memorandum/contents.
This is a new world we live in and we just have to make use of the technology available to us to continue to deliver for our residents. Welcome to the world of council meetings online.