Local authorities look set to be granted powers to allow councillors to attend meetings remotely – a move welcomed by a body representing local government lawyers that went to court over the issue.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has opened a snap consultation on amending the law to allow remote attendance and potentially proxy voting.

Lawyers in Local Government (LLG), which renewed its long-standing campaign for remote meetings in August, called the consultation a ‘real step forward’ for local democracy.

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Emergency legislation was introduced during the Covid pandemic allowing councils to hold certain statutory meetings, such as planning and full council, remotely until 6 May 2021. LLG tried to persuade the High Court to declare that councils could hold meetings remotely on or after 7 May 2021 but was unsuccessful.

LLG was one of 4,300 organisations and individuals to submit evidence to the previous government’s call for evidence on virtual local authority meetings.

Chief executive Deborah Evans said: ‘LLG are incredibly proud of the hard work not only we and the Association of Democratic Services Officers played in achieving this landmark outcome, but the collaborative effort of the sector as a whole, in coming together with persistence and fortitude to gain this vital provision.

‘This is all about ensuring effective democratic participation and enabling a truly reflective and diverse representation of councillors serving their communities. Capitalising on our previous work, we are committed to embedding strong, ethical governance into the process which enables local choice and agile, robust decision making.’

The eight-week consultation, which opened on 24 October, applies to England only.

 

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