Coronavirus: Decision to be made on virtual council meetings

The Coronavirus Act, which was passed through Parliament a fortnight ago, included a section which, said the secretary of state for local government Robert Jenrick, could decide how councils might be able to continue their meetings under the pandemic lockdown.

Council meetings across the UK, including Dorset, have been postponed or cancelled as a means to promote social distancing.

Under current laws, councillors cannot vote or make decisions about services they run unless they are all in the same room together, usually in a council building, or a place open to the public. But that could be about to change.

A spokesman for the ministry of housing, communities and local government said: “We intend to legislate so that… while essential council meetings should continue, these will be able to take place remotely for a temporary period.”

Meanwhile all the area’s main town councils have their councillors consulting by email on local planning applications which are still coming into the system, forming a collective view and then feeding that to Dorset Council which decides on the applications.

Unlike many other council functions planning does have a system of delegated powers where the majority of planning applications, the majority of them minor, can be decided by planning officers acting alone.

But the law still requires that planning requests be

advertised and made available for the public to view and comment on before a decision is made. Part of that process is to consult town and parish councils or their comments.

Both Dorchester, Bridport and Weymouth town councils say they have set up a system where their planning committee members are consulted remotely on each application, using email, and then a collective view reached.

Said Dorchester town clerk Adrian Stuart said the council has just concluded its first virtual planning meeting: “Members commented and asked questions on the agenda items, we prepared minutes based on the majority view and members are going through the process of agreeing that the minutes fairly represented their collective view. The minutes are still subject to ratification by the next council meeting, but it did allow us to comment on individual planning applications and also prepare a detailed response to an early phase of the Local Plan consultation process.

“We asked the Civic Society for their comments in advance of the meeting, but we missed the opportunity to hear from the wider public before commenting. Residents still have the option to comment on line to Dorset Council and we would encourage them to carry on doing this.”

He says the council, like others, is still waiting for Government guidance about what will be legally permitted during lockdown and may consider using video conferencing, if allowed, in the future.

Weymouth town clerk Jane Biscombe said the council there is also trying to function as normally as it can: “Weymouth Town Council are continuing as best we can to ensure that the council gives a response to planning applications. This is being done on email and using online meeting platforms. As the Council is not the decision making authority, that falls to Dorset Council, the council can only comment on applications. As such the council continues to promote the Dorset Council online portal as a way for all Councillors and the public to have their say on planning applications in the area. The Council continues to encourage all local residents to monitor both the Town Council and Dorset Council websites for local news and updates.”

Bridport Town Clerk Will Austin has also been busy setting up options to traditional meetings: “I am also looking at virtual meeting options and we hope to get something in place soon. Our focus in the last couple of weeks has been on a robust system of remote working for officers, and on establishing the Bridport Community Support Helpline, which went live on Wednesday.”