Walsall Council to hold public virtual meetings
The first virtual council meetings will be held in Walsall next month to overcome strict Covid-19 social distancing rules.
Walsall Council will host an online cabinet meeting on May 19 which will be the first public committee meeting of the authority since March just prior to lockdown.
The Government passed new legislation to enable local authorities to host meetings on the internet to conduct normal council business.
Amendments also mean authorities are now not required by law to hold an annual general meeting, while current mayor Paul Bott is expected to continue the role until after the coronavirus crisis is over.
Cabinet will be followed by a scrutiny overview committee meeting two days later. Other meetings to take place will include planning, licensing, taxi licence hearings and appeals.
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Earlier this month, the technology being used by the council was put to the test through two personnel committee meetings but the issues on the agenda were for private discussion.
In meetings such as planning, members of the public will still be able to make representation through the virtual meetings.
Leader Mike Bird said: “Walsall Council are working through the legislation to the benefit of the council structure.
“There will be no annual meeting, that is not a requirement by law. It is likely that the current mayor will continue until this crisis is over.
“We are operating under emergency powers and what they say is we do not have to have an Annual General Meeting which is a requirement by law normally. But the new act says we don’t.
“We are are certainly doing virtual meetings for planning, licensing matters, taxi licensing, taxi appeals. Those will be done remotely.
“We are still working around how we could work with 60 members of the council to hold a full council meeting.
“Sixty people in one room just won’t work because it will be contrary to Government rules.”
He added that the chief executive has the power to waive the rule where councillors who fail to attend a meeting for six months sees them kicked off the authority and instead extend a member’s term of office until May next year.
