Cornwall Council is looking at whether it can hold meetings in a hybrid format to allow councillors to choose to meet in person or take part in meetings online.

All council and committee meetings have been held virtually online in recent months due to the coronavirus crisis.

But now councillors are calling for the “restoration of democracy” which would involve having meetings held in person once more.

A motion which is set to go before a meeting of full council next week calls for the change to ensure that decisions being made by the council can be scrutinised and senior leaders be held to account.

The proposals have been put forward by independent councillor Bob Egerton and have been seconded by Labour group leader Stephen Barnes. They also have the backing of Jayne Kirkham (Lab), Mary May, Jim McKenna and Mike Thomas (all independent) and Dulcie Tudor (Independent Alliance Group).

In the motion it is stated that it is understood why the emergency procedures had to be put in place and thanks council staff and councillors for ensuring that services continued to function.

However, it adds “the emergency procedures have inhibited proper democratic scrutiny of the decisions that have been made by the council during this period and we now need to reinstate democratic oversight in as effective a way as possible without endangering the safety and well-being of staff, members and the residents of Cornwall”.

It calls for a meeting of all political group leaders to agree a “programme of enabling more active engagement of all members in the decision-making

process”.

In particular the motion calls for work to look at using a hybrid format of meetings which would allow councillors to meet at County Hall while others could still participate in meetings online.

A briefing note produced ahead of the council meeting states that 57 meetings have been held online “successfully”. These had also allowed members of the public to take part and for the consideration of confidential items.

In reference to a hybrid format it states: “A hybrid solution will have financial implications which, at this point, are unknown as there are currently no tested solutions on the market. Costs will depend on a number of issues including (but not exclusive to) the scale of the approach; adequacy of existing technology; any adaptations needed for meeting rooms (e.g. technology upgrades; adherence to any social distancing requirements etc); the number and location of meeting rooms that might be in scope and the number of hours of broadcasting/archiving required when compared to the council’s

existing webcasting contract.

“This work is not currently budgeted for although it is considered that it could be partly funded by the saving in member travel which, since the start of lockdown, amounts to in the region of £40,000.”

Full council is due to meet on Tuesday (September 22) online to discuss the motion.