The government chose not to continue local councils’ ability to hold meetings virtually. Hertfordshire County Council, Lawyers in Local Government and the Association of Democratic Services Officers had argued to the High Court to allow for a hybrid of in-person and online meetings from May 7. Wiltshire Council has said the decision is “unfortunate” as throughout the pandemic it believes it has shown that strong governance can be carried out virtually. Terence Herbert, chief executive of Wiltshire Council, said: “Indeed, in many cases, there has been greater engagement when meetings have been held virtually. “However, we have been planning for this eventuality and the next full council meeting later this month will be an in-person meeting.”
High Court rules on public attendance of meetings amid confusion over rules
The High Court has ruled that where council meetings are ‘open to the public’, local authorities should allow members of the public to attend in person and that the requirement of public attendance cannot be satisfied through video streaming.
However, supplementary guidance that came out yesterday following a judgement against allowing remote council meetings also stated that the numbers of public attendees can be subject to current public health guidance - thereby allowing local authorities to address Covid safety concerns by capping the numbers.
The new guidance has crushed hopes that public attendance of council meetings could be limited to live streams amid concern over the risks of attendees contracting coronavirus.
Fury as High Court ruling ends virtual meetings made famous by Handforth Parish Council
Councillors told they must attend all committee meetings in person after election day
09:55, 4 MAY 2021
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Council leaders have slated the Government as “lamentable” and “discriminatory” after a High Court ruling dashed last-ditch hopes of continuing remote public meetings.
By Joey Gardiner 2021-04-30T09:23:00+01:00
Legal challenge by planners designed to avoid hiatus in decision-making fails
Virtual planning committee meetings are to cease from May 6 after a judge ruled that existing legislation dating back to the 1970s is not sufficient to give virtual meetings legal status.
Planning groups hit out at the news, with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) branding it a “hugely retrograde step”.
Virtual meetings have been allowed under emergency coronavirus legislation which has seen most local authorities move all their planning committees online, a decision welcomed by many planners, developers and community groups as improving access.
Hertfordshire County Council chief legal officer Quentin Baker, who is president of Lawyers in Local Government, says the decision of the court is “disappointing”, but he says he is confident that the decision will pave the way for the government to legislate.
In the meantime councils will now have to consider whether they need to seek out alternative venues for future meetings, in order to comply with social distancing.
Hertfordshire County Council has already earmarked the Gordon Craig Theatre, in Stevenage, as its ‘Plan B’.
At the High Court hearing (on April 21), Hertfordshire County Council – in conjunction with LLG and ADSO – had asked for a ruling on the meaning of the Local Government Act (1972).