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# Councillors could be allowed to attend meetings remotely under new plans
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/councillors-could-be-allowed-to-attend-meetings-remotely-under-new-plans/
- Published: 2024-12-20T08:02:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-12-19T07:42:19.000Z
- Description: Councillors could once again be allowed to attend meetings remotely as part of proposed changes being considered by the Government.
- Author: Kerry Ashdown, Local Democracy Reporter
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:49, News

COUNCILLORS could once again be allowed to attend meetings remotely as part of proposed changes being considered by the Government.

During the Covid pandemic temporary legislation allowed local authorities to hold virtual meetings online, with members able to make decisions without being physically present in the same room in order to control the spread of coronavirus.

The regulations, which came into force in April 2020, ended in May 2021 and were unable to be extended. Since then council meetings have returned to physical locations, with members having to be present to take part in votes and decision-making.

But in recent weeks the Government has held a consultation on allowing remote attendance and proxy voting – allowing a councillor present at a meeting to vote on behalf of another who is absent – at meetings in England.

Staffordshire County Council has put forward a response to the consultation, which says:

> “Staffordshire County Council welcomes the principle of being allowed to set its own arrangements for attendance and participation at committee meetings.  
>  
> “That said, we do not support the principle of remote attendance at formal meetings, especially for decision making committees and those with quasi-judicial powers.  
>  
> “On the matter of proxy voting, Staffordshire County Council believes that predetermination issues with proxy voting could potentially arise when a councillor’s vote is delegated to another member, potentially leading to concerns about the integrity and independence of the decision-making process.”