Streaming live Council meetings

There has been a lot of decisions by Halton council that have made a lot of people very angry, however if we was to look, very little if any members of the public actually attend these Council meetings and as often to be the case people are not happy with decisions that have been made but only learn of these decisions when they are happening.

Is it not about time that in 2020 the Council should be considering steaming live Council meetings, its a new way of communicating with and to engage the general public, these live and on-demand streaming can be used for all the council meetings.

If people can’t attend the Council meetings in person, they can still participate virtually by watching live streaming broadcasts, it will of course be educational to know what actually is happening at the council meetings and being able to see key decisions being made.

This will make local democracy more accessible for residents being able to watch from home or even their workplace or even on the go, this really is a great opportunity to bring the council chamber into the 21st century with the installation of a live streaming system.

They will be able to watch live as issues are debated, motions are voted on and planning applications how they are decided, I believe this will increase engagement with residents and making meetings available to view online could improve the communication with residents, we must also think residents who cannot leave their homes due to illness or old age.

I have looked at other councils who take part in this live streaming and have spoken to them direct and what I have been told on occasions although they experience very low if any attendance from members of the public just like Halton, each meeting has been watched between 400 and 2,500 times, this is far in excess of expectations of any number that our Council meetings attract however this idea will work.