TOWN hall business is gearing up once again on Teesside with the first public virtual meetings starting up.
Middlesbrough Council held one of its first public gatherings of councillors via “CiscoWebex” on Thursday in a brief chief officer appointment committee.
The public could view the action unfold on Youtube – but only for three minutes before the meeting on the authority’s senior management arrangements went behind closed doors.
There were a few small teething issues with chairman Cllr Jon Rathmell not appearing on camera for about a minute.
Meetings have been put on the back-burner across Teesside while councils focus on dealing with the massive upheaval of services during the coronavirus pandemic.
The government has given councils the power to hold meetings virtually on the proviso that the public can still get access.
Balancing this with a technology which still enables debate and prevents unsavoury interruptions from “internet trolls” has been at the forefront of minds in democratic services teams.
Middlesbrough’s meetings started up this week and will continue next week – with the mayor due to sign off an emergency council tax payment scheme on Monday and councillors due to examine a coronavirus recovery plan on Thursday.
Redcar and Cleveland Council hasn’t scheduled meetings yet, however, officials say they are working on a way of holding them.
Stockton Council is taking a different approach – combining physical “socially distanced meetings” with technology.
Trials of this system were due to take place at Thornaby Pavilion to enable some councillors to “dial in” virtually but others to attend meetings in person while keeping distance from others.
A zoom gathering of South Somerset District Council suffered problems with internet trolls last month.
Troublemakers dialled into the meeting with adult-themed nicknames with swear words directed at a member of council staff, while a member of the public it is claimed tried to pose as a councillor during the meeting.
Stockton Council leader Cllr Bob Cook said it had been tricky to find a virtual meeting system which allowed debate but also stopped such trouble.
He added: “Some meetings elsewhere have been interrupted with pornographic images.
“We think we can do it where the room is a little bit bigger and members and the public can social distance – and if members are socially isolating they can dial in.”
Meetings are due to start again in Stockton in the next fortnight.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here