Video conferencing to continue for two councils despite another proposing ‘hybrid’ meetings

Anglesey and Gwynedd Councils say they plan to persist with “virtual meetings” or video conferencing for the foreseeable future despite a neighbouring authority’s proposals to bring in a “hybrid” model.

Conwy Council recently launched a debate on at least partially returning to its council chamber to hold meetings as part of the gradual reopening of local democracy.

With officers there revealing plans to set up “hybrid” meetings, such as those currently seen in the UK Parliament, it would allow at least some members to attend in person while socially distancing while others would continue to contribute online from their own homes.

But with strong feelings there on both sides of the debate, both Anglesey and Gwynedd Councils have told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that their current arrangements are scheduled to continue for the time being at least.

Since March both authorities have held all such meetings on platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, while continuing to allow press and media access to such committees and public broadcasting where that was previously the case.

But while the relatively bare calendar initially included only vital decision making committees such as the cabinet/executive, planning and audit, both authorities are ramping up their schedules from September to include scrutiny  committees and even full council – which may pose challenges in Gwynedd’s case due to its 75 members.

Responding to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a Gwynedd Council spokesman said: “Our priority as a Council remains keeping the people of Gwynedd safe.

“As part of our efforts to control the spread of the disease, we follow the Welsh Government’s guidelines with staff and councillors working from from home whenever that is practically possible.

“Whilst we are reviewing the situation on a regular basis, our focus continues to be on ensuring that key council meetings are held online for the time-being.”

A spokesman for Anglesey Council said, “There is no intention at present to modify the procedure for holding committee meetings, but as a County Council we continue to keep this under review.”

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter