Agenda item

At the Council meeting on 23 July, Councillor Biederman submitted a Notice of Motion relating to the Council’s future working practices relating to Member meetings.

‘That Devon County Council make a commitment to holding more virtual meetings, briefings and task groups post Covid-19. They have clearly been very successful, have made a huge saving to the Council in budgetary terms and they also help in the Council’s climate emergency aims, by reducing our carbon footprint. Council therefore asks the Procedures Committee to consider a Report on meetings in the future and what Committees, briefings and task groups could meet virtually.

Report of the County Solicitor (CSO/20/18), responding to the Motion is attached.

The Committee noted that at the Council meeting on 23 July, Councillor Biederman had submitted a Notice of Motion relating to the Council’s future working practices relating to Member meetings.

‘That Devon County Council make a commitment to holding more virtual meetings, briefings and task groups post Covid-19. They have clearly been very successful, have made a huge saving to the Council in budgetary terms and they also help in the Council’s climate emergency aims, by reducing our carbon footprint. Council therefore asks the Procedures Committee to consider a Report on meetings in the future and what Committees, briefings and task groups could meet virtually.

The Committee then considered the Report of the County Solicitor (CSO/20/18), responding to the Motion outlining the current process, legislation, the national debates, remote meetings and financial impacts.

The Report highlighted that the issue of remote meetings had been discussed in the past, however, prior to the 4th April 2020, there had been no legal provision to allow Councillors to attend meetings remotely. The Legislation outlined that in order to vote on decisions or recommendations a Member must physically be present at the meeting. Of course, the temporary Regulations in the form of the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 permitted remote attendance for the first time, as long as certain conditions were satisfied, for example, being able to hear and be heard.

The Report also highlighted the Council’s Current ICT Strategy and that work was underway to finalise the new Digital & Technology Strategy which took the Council into 2024. Whilst it covered a number of themes reflecting the changing working patterns of many staff, it also looked to understand and support the new meeting experience and refresh “technology enabled meeting rooms”.

The Report outlined the representations that had been made at a national level, with the Association of Democratic Services Officers having written to the Local Government Association with regard to the extension for remote meetings more generally beyond May 2021. A response to the letter was awaited.

Whilst the outcome of the legislative changes was awaited, this would only apply to the Council’s Committees formally constituted under the Local Government Act, but the Report outlined a number of other meetings that could be conducted remotely in the future and the current work on induction sessions to consider other formats such as webinars, so people could view content in their own time, nothwithstanding this would not be appropriate for all induction sessions.

Whilst the most important aspect of this remote meeting conversation was open and transparent democratic processes, there could be considerable budgetary saving and the Report gave detail of the Members expenditure from April – October 2020 and the saving of £39,384 when compared to 2019/20.

It was also noted that a number of equality and environmental impacts could also be identified, for example, to allow more flexibility in Local Government may increase the attractiveness of the role to a wider group of people.

With the Council’s sign up to the climate emergency to become carbon

neutral by 2030, to permit remote attendances contributed significantly to reductions in both journeys and carbon emissions.

It was MOVED by Councillor Biederman, SECONDED by Councillor Barker and RESOLVED

That Council be asked to; 

(a) note the update Report around the current legislation, the Council’s Virtual Meetings and Audio-Visual capabilities and Member meetings which permit remote attendance;

(b) welcome more flexibility in Local Government in the future which could pave the way for more people standing for Election and a more diverse Council of the future;

(c) in light of (b) and the benefits achieved over the last few months, write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government requesting a permanent change to the Legislation to support more flexible working practices in the future for Local Democracy.

(d) ask officers to consider the most effective medium for holding a meeting in the future, supporting and encouraging remote meetings when it is appropriate to do so;

(e) support those Members who wish to attend future meetings remotely, with relevant training and provision of necessary equipment; and

(f)  ask Procedures, at the appropriate time, to undertake a further review of any legislative changes surrounding remote meetings and make any necessary changes to the Constitution and working practices.