Issue - meetings

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda report and to make the following resolution:

That a one-year extension to the pilot to audio record and publish the Council, the Cabinet, the Planning Committee, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee meetings online be approved.

RESOLVED

That a one-year extension to the pilot to audio record and publish the Council, the Cabinet, the Planning Committee, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee meetings online be approved.

The Cabinet considered the agenda report (copy attached to the official minutes).

The report was introduced by Mrs Hardwick.

Mr Bennett was in attendance for this item.

Mrs Hardwick explained that when the audio recording of the meetings of certain key committees was introduced in September 2015 it was on the basis of a one-year introductory trial. The pilot period was from January 2016 to January 2017. There had been certain teething problems with the system, which officers and the contractor had to address; these had related to the hardware, the Wi-Fi and the physical layout of the equipment.  Consequently during the trial officers had not had complete confidence in the system and at least two meetings were not recorded at all due to problems with the system. For this reason the system had not been widely advertised to potential users such as the public, parishes etc.  Inevitably the apparent use of the system during this period was unsurprisingly low.  However there were benefits in terms of improving transparency, accountability and open government. The report said that it was premature to assess the trial because of the initial difficulties that have been experienced and that to change contractor now would be costly and risk another period of adjustment to and acquaintance with a new system.  Accordingly it was being recommended that the current trial be extended for one year and thereafter for a full review to be undertaken once the system was fully operational and had been appropriately advertised to potential users.

Mr Bennett did not wish to add to Mrs Hardwick’s presentation.

In reply to members’ questions on points of detail, Mr Bennett said that (a) there had been 101 visits to the audio recording facility, many of which would have been by CDC officers checking the recording was working and its quality and (b) the problems experienced were not the contractors’ fault, who had been very helpful in seeking solutions to the technical issues. The further review would be in January 2018.

Decision

The Cabinet voted unanimously on a show of hands in favour of the resolution below.       

RESOLVED

That a one-year extension to the pilot to audio record and publish the Council, the Cabinet, the Planning Committee, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee meetings online be approved.