Agenda item

To receive a report from the Monitoring Officer on the Government Consultation Enabling remote attendance and proxy voting at Council meetings and to provide a response to the Council’s position.

The Committee had before it, a report * from the Director of Legal, HR & Governance (Monitoring Officer) outlining the Government Consultation, enabling remote attendance and proxy voting at Council meeting.

The Director of Legal, HR & Governance (Monitoring Officer) outlined the content of the report with particular reference to the following:

• ‘Enabling remote attendance and proxy voting at local authority meetings’, with the consultation closing on the 19 December 2024.
• This consultation seeks views on the detail and practical implications of allowing remote and hybrid attendance at local authority meetings.
• The possible introduction of proxy voting for those occasions when an elected member, due to personal circumstances, may be unable to attend even remotely. For example, during maternity, paternity or adoption leave.
• The Standards committee to debate and review ahead of the response being submitted after it would be presented to Full Council next week.

The following was discussed:

• The Motion 563 from the 19th of May 2020.

a) This Council resolved to hold all member briefings and working/advisory groups (where practicable) remotely in the future which would aid the reduction of carbon emissions and provided significant savings on Members travel expenses.

b) This Council agreed to lobby central Government requesting that Regulation 5 of the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 be extended past May 2021 and be formed into new legislation allowing Members to have the option to attend any meeting of the Council either in person or remotely.

• Members that were present when meetings were online and had the flexibility to keep their function as a Councillor.
• Measures that would be in place for those attending and distractions that may take place with meetings being held online.
• The option for hybrid meetings rather than just online, the engagement from members in a room.
• Full Council to remain in person only for Councillors to come together.
• Question 5 of the consultation and the figures that had been put forward.
• That remote attendance at meetings was generally welcomed across the committee.
• The Members of the Committee did not wish to see a return to fully remote meetings.
• The role of Chair should be in person for meetings.
• Further discussions would be required on how the Council might implement the changes.
• Setting rules around attendance of meeting online or if they were not to attend similar to the rules around sending substitutes to meeting.
• Physical presence of Members, officers and Members of the public.
• On occasions where a person was unwell, should they be attending meetings at all, even remotely?
• Remote meetings would be helpful in cases of inclement weather (flooding, snow etc) and would allow the meeting to still take place and that attendance and voting would be recognised.
• The Standards Committee expressed concerns over this particular proposal, with the governance of the proposal being of significant concern.
• A lack of clarity of how proxy voting would work when amendments were moved at a meeting, for example;
• Whether the use of proxy voting could be seen as predetermination.
• If the responses to the consultation from the discussion the evening be circulated to members of the Committee first before it goes to Full Council.

It was therefore RESOLVED the Standards Committee recommend to Full Council that:

1. That the Council NOTED the Government Consultation.
2. The Director of Legal, People & Governance (Monitoring Officer) be delegated to respond to the Government with the Councils response. 

(Proposed by the Chair)

Note:  * Report previously circulated.