Agenda item

Consider report by Chief Executive.  (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Chief Executive proposing that, where the technology permitted, formal meetings of Council would be held either in a blended way or wholly online.  The purpose of this report was to give flexibility to Council, with Members being able to access meetings online using MS teams, or any alternative that was subsequently selected, or attending the meeting in person.  The conduct of meetings in a blended way would be the default position.  Meetings would only be held fully in person if previously agreed with the Chair, and notified on the published committee agenda.   The report explained that since April 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic, Scottish Borders Council had conducted formal committee meetings online by remote access.  At its meeting on 26 March 2020, Council agreed to suspend formal meetings of the Council in a format whereby Members and officers previously gathered together in person, and to replace such formal face to face meetings with meetings held remotely using Microsoft Teams online technology.  This step was taken to minimise the risk of infection from COVID19, with Council Standing Orders being amended accordingly.  At its meeting on 30 July 2020, Council agreed that the holding of remote meetings would continue and this decision had not yet been formally revoked.  Officers, along with the Council’s IT provider, CGI, had worked to identify the necessary technology to hold blended meetings.  However, as a result of global shortages in IT equipment that technology was only now in the process of being installed in the Council Chamber.  It was proposed that, where the technology was available, blended meetings would going forward be the default and the norm for formal committee meetings.  This would promote flexibility for both Members and officers, as well as helping to achieve the Councils climate change ambitions of reducing carbon emissions, by reducing travel across the Borders. It would also make the best use of the technology currently available and would allow for the potential impact of any new or changing COVID or other restrictions moving forward.  Blended meetings could only currently take place in the Council Chamber. If meetings did not take place in the Council Chamber then full online meetings would be necessary due to the requirement to livestream proceedings for public viewing.  In such circumstances meetings would then be held wholly online via Microsoft Teams, or any such alternative technology that may replace that in future.  It was anticipated that committee meetings would only be called as wholly physical meetings with the approval of the Chair, and only normally where circumstances dictated that was the best option.  This would be notified on the published agenda for the meeting in advance of the meeting being held.  Although the technology was now being installed in the Council Chamber, an interim continuation of meetings by remote access was still being proposed until full testing of the functionality and user awareness had been completed.  During June, it was proposed to pilot and test the use of blended meetings and should this prove successful then meetings could move to blended meetings before the end of June 2022.  Members expressed their support for the proposals.

DECISION

AGREED that:-

(a)     once testing of the functionality of the technology in the Council Chamber had been completed successfully, that blended meetings of Council committees would become the default position;

(b)     in the event that blended meetings are not able to take place, then meetings would take place wholly online, and meetings would be called as physical meetings only where the Chair of the meeting agreed to this in advance of the agenda of the meeting being issued; 

(c)     the following changes were made to Standing Orders to account for future blended meetings:

          Meetings of the Council                       

(i)      Standing Order No. 8 – Addition “Where a meeting is being held in terms of Section 43 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 i.e. as a blended meeting, then public access to that meeting will either be in the meeting room with any Members present, or if no Members are present in a meeting room, or online through a livestream of the meeting.”;

          Duties of Chairman

(ii)     Standing Order No. 16(b) – amend to read ”ensuring that a fair opportunity is given to all Members to express their views on any item of business, whether they are present physically in a meeting room or through remote access, in accordance with the terms of these Standing Orders;

(iii)    Standing Order No. 16 – new addition (l) “taking reasonable steps to enable effective participation by Members, officers and members of the public whether they are present physically or by remote-access; failure of technology impacting on participation in a meeting by a Member may not necessarily require the meeting to be halted.”; and

          Debate

(iv)    Standing Order No. 30 – amend to “Every motion or amendment shall require to be moved and seconded, and, if required by the Chairman shall be in writing and shall be handed or sent electronically to the proper officer and read to the meeting…”