📢 Councillor Attendance Drama! 🎥🏛️
In Torfaen, a hot new debate is brewing over councillors attending meetings via video call and then promptly disappearing 🚪💨. To tackle this, new rules are on the horizon to ensure these virtual attendees actually stick around and contribute!
Here’s the scoop: the council now wants those tuning in via video to keep their cameras on to prove they’re present – no sneaky log-offs allowed 😲. If you’re taking a comfort break or dealing with something urgent, just give the chair a heads-up 👋.
The rules also mean councillors can actually get a warning if they miss a substantial chunk of a meeting. These warnings can be escalated to the ethics and standards committee if members keep vanishing. Some councillors, like Labour’s Steve Evans, say it’s a shame any of this is necessary, as a few members just show up for the attendance tick without getting involved 🤔.
Others, like Reform councillor Alan Slade, argue that the new measures might end up putting unnecessary strain on meeting officers who will have to play camera police 👀📋. He questions what counts as a “substantial” absence and reckons the plan isn’t entirely foolproof.
Meanwhile, councillor Jason O’Connell thinks the rules are quite patronising and worries they might negatively impact those with caring responsibilities. On the other side of the argument, Labour cabinet member David Daniels supports the move, stating it’s totally doable. 🗳️
The debate is getting heated, with councillors split over whether virtual meetings should be embraced or if everyone should just haul themselves to the actual chambers. What do you think? Should councillors be able to attend meetings from the comfort of their laptops, or is in-person attendance the way to go? 🤔💻📍
#CouncillorDrama #TorfaenCouncil #MeetingMatters #VirtualAttendance💬