Issue - meetings

To receive and consider the attached report of the Resources portfolio held on 12 October 2017 (recommendations to follow).

The purpose of the report is to comply with the resolution passed at the

Council Meeting held on 21 March 2017 when Notice of Motion b) -

Transparency in Council Meetings - was referred to the Cabinet Member for

Resources toconsider a report on the broadcasting of cabinet and committee

meetings with a request to report back to Council. 

RECOMMENDED that the Cabinet Member for Resources

Recommends to Full Council

(1)  That the broadcasting of Cabinet/Portfolio and Full committee decision meetings, together with the Scrutiny Management Panel, be web streamed with effect from 1^st November 2017, thus allowing the necessary notices and meeting room changes to be made after the Full  Council decision

(2)  That the web-streaming of themed scrutiny panel meetings be referred to Scrutiny Management Panel to assess and  determine for the reasons given in paragraph 3.6

(3)  That it notes the Cabinet Member for Resources will keep the arrangements under review, including whether any refinements are needed in due course.

(TAKE IN REPORT)

The Director of Customer and Communication and the Local Democracy Manager introduced the report which had been brought in response to a Notice of Motion request about recording council meetings.

Assuming that Council approves the recommendations in the report it is envisaged that all decision meetings will be web streamed from either the Executive Meeting Room or the Council Chamber in the Guildhall with effect from 1st November. In respect of the Executive Meeting Room, it will involve utilising the existing equipment previously used in the Council Chamber, until more permanent web streaming equipment has been installed.

In response to questions it was confirmed

·         That a 7 year maintenance agreement was in place in respect of the second-hand equipment being installed in the Executive Meeting Room, The Guildhall.

·         That the life expectancy of the equipment that had been installed in the Chamber was expected to be at least 10 years

·         That the intention was to gather experience from the  first phase of broadcasting meetings before considering extending it further

·         That the final review reports and response reports from themed scrutiny panels go to Cabinet for decision and would therefore be broadcast at that stage.

With regard to promoting the council chamber to produce income streams, this was not being looked at yet as the systems needed to be fully tested first.

DECISION:

The Cabinet Member for Resources

Recommended to Full Council

(1)  That the broadcasting of Cabinet/Portfolio and Full committee decision meetings, together with the Scrutiny Management Panel, be web streamed with effect from 1st November 2017, thus allowing the necessary notices and meeting room changes to be made after the Full Council decision

(2)  That the web-streaming of themed scrutiny panel meetings be referred to Scrutiny Management Panel to assess and determine for the reasons given in paragraph 3.6 of the report

(3)  That it notes the Cabinet Member for Resources will keep the arrangements under review, including whether any refinements are needed in due course