LGA calls for virtual meetings to continue

摘要

The Local Government Association's (LGA) chairman has urged ministers to pave the way for virtual council meetings to continue after the local elections. In a letter to communities secretary Robert Jenrick, seen by The MJ, Cllr James Jamieson called for the Government to allow councils to choose how they meet after 6 May, when the current emergency rules expire. Cllr Jamieson voiced his support for last month's legal claim from Hertfordshire CC, Lawyers in Local Government and the Association of Democratic Services Officers, which sought a High Court ruling to allow virtual meetings to continue under existing legislation. The LGA letter argued councils should be allowed to retain the flexibility of virtual or hybrid meetings after the pandemic to encourage participation, increase transparency and engagement, and avoid unnecessary travel. Under the Government's roadmap out of lockdown, no more than six people will be able to meet indoors until after 21 June. However, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has insisted that council meetings can still go ahead as long as COVID guidance is followed.