Shadow Minister slams councils for not resuming face-to-face meetings

The Shadow Minister for Local Government, Sam Rowlands has condemned three local authorities for not resuming face-to-face meetings and has demanded they introduce hybrid meetings.

Most councils have already introduced hybrid meeting, where there is a combination of councillors attending online and in-person but Anglesey, Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan – are yet to fully implement the hybrid system, using remote meetings only.

Mr Rowlands, the Welsh Conservative MS for the North Wales region and former leader of Conwy County Borough Council, said: “It is ridiculous that by now some councils are still not meeting in person but are still meeting from their bedrooms and dining tables.

“Nothing can beat face to face meetings, especially when we have nearly half of all councillors in Wales being new to the role and especially when weighty decisions have to be made.

“Council leaders should take immediate steps to ensure that hybrid meetings become the norm as they are in the majority of Councils in Wales.

“Many others across the private and public sectors have returned to work, it’s high time all councillors did too.”

Covid pandemic

The Welsh Government introduced measures in April 2020 to allow councils to hold remote meetings during the restriction that were put in place at the start of the Covid pandemic.

In May last year new regulations were introduced allowing local authorities to decide whether their meetings will be held fully virtually, partially virtually (where some participants are in the same physical location, whilst others join the meeting virtually, or as physical meetings.