Jackie Weaver and the new era for council meetings

The immortal line would probably never have been said had local councils not been forced to meet virtually.

Local councils in England have been wrestling with the question of whether they should continue to live stream their sessions.

Despite the fact that a return to in-person meetings has been required by law since 7 May last year, the county council voted to spend 437,341 on a scheme to make it easier for people to join in online.

Local media reports suggest that the money would be spent on wall-mounted displays and person- tracking cameras in meeting rooms, but the council has not made public a detailed breakdown of exactly how the money would be spent.

New microphones, sockets for councillors to plug in their laptops, and the removal of asbestos will also be included.

The council did not respond to the request for comment.

The plan was voted through, but five of the nine councillors abstained or voted against it. The question is hanging over all English councils. Live streaming improves public engagement in local democracy, but can it continue?

In January, the star of the Handforth parish council meeting that descended into chaos and became a viral hit, said that online council meetings should continue.

"People have a right to see what we do as councillors", says Cllr Girling, who supports the high-tech upgrade plan.

Kate Foale, who abstained, says online meetings have been a great way of involving the public in decision-making but she is not comfortable with the amount proposed.

She says it didn't feel right to justify spending that kind of money.

The smooth running of multiple meetings, not just those in the main council chamber, will be aided by the new tech.

Proponents of hybrid gatherings, in which some people are present in a room while others join remotely via the internet, often point out that additional technical support is sometimes needed in order to broadcast the contributions of each person clearly and audibly to all attendees.

It is easier to show the current speaker in full view when everyone logs in individually.

Eastleigh Borough Council in Hampshire stopped streaming its meetings. The council will keep this open for review despite the fact that streaming doesn't work as well for in-person meetings.

Penrith Town Council's Jonathan Davies is a big fan of keeping the stream alive. He has a camera on his phone that he uses to stream public meetings.

He explains that he popped it on a tripod on a seat where a member of the public could watch it.

He believes that all council meetings should be broadcast. He says that the iPlayer could be used to link in to streams, because it would capture a lot of content for news producers.

Digital coverage of council meetings varies from place to place. Some gatherings are being streamed while others are not.

She says it is a no brainer that these meetings should be live streamed. If there is a request to do so, the council has previously told local media that any meetings can be streamed.

A report about the impact that virtual council meetings have had on engagement in local democracy was published by the charity.

The charity concluded that the results had been largely positive, with increased participation in debates and greater awareness among the public of what councils were up to.

Louise Third, chair and interim chief executive of the SCT, says that people felt they could ask a question or say something.

She notes that online access to live meetings can depend on where you live, because of the current technological disparity.

Mrs Third says that they would push for a balance to be able to have all citizens have a voice. If you can't log in virtually, you can attend in-person to ensure maximum engagement.

Stephen Burroughes, of Suffolk County Council, has since locked himself in his office, because he didn't like cyber-meetings. He attends four or five online meetings every day from his home, so that he can keep an eye on small sessions as well as larger ones.

He says that it has meant less travel for attendees in a largely rural area.

He thinks that public engagement is increasing and that the government should have allowed English councils to meet virtually.

Local authorities in the UK have relatively little power and funding, but are tasked with representing large numbers of people, notes Oliver Escobar, senior lecturer in public policy at Edinburgh university.

There is live streaming of sessions in Europe. He believes that embracing technology could help communities in England and elsewhere in the UK tackle issues in the 21st century.

Digital infrastructure will be a part of local democracy if we believe that it needs to be revitalised.