Hertfordshire County Council split on upcoming Government review

Currently councillors are required to attend decision-making meetings ‘in-person’ if they are to vote, although they can take part in some other meetings virtually.

But the government is currently consulting on whether there should be provision made for those members who can’t attend a particular meeting in person – but could do remotely.

On Tuesday (19 November), the issue was highlighted at a meeting of the county council’s standards committee, where councillors expressed differing views.

Committee chairman Conservative Councillor Ken Crofton suggested ‘hybrid’ meetings – where some councillors could opt to join remotely – were not “conducive to the business of this council”.

And he said: “I think the whole point of having a chamber, where everybody pays attention to the full debate during the whole process – is better than somebody drifting in and out, looking after a child and having a cup of coffee and then coming back in.”

Should it be allowed, Councillor Crofton said it should not be “automatic” – suggesting it should be limited and sanctioned by the leader of each party.

And he said: “When you become a councillor there’s a commitment.

“And the commitment is you play your full part. And if you can’t play your full part you shouldn’t be a councillor.”

But the remaining three members of the committee Conservative Councillor Jeff Jones, Liberal Democrat Paul de Kort and Labour Councillor Nigel Bell supported moves that would enable remote attendance, if required.

Councillor Jones suggested that where councillors had a “good reason” for being unable to attend, they should be able to attend remotely.

“I think we should come in to the 21st century and allow remote access -but not per se,” said Councillor Jones.

“I do think there should be good reasons why you access remotely.

“I think members should be fully encouraged to attend in person. I think that’s really important.”

Liberal Democrat Paul de Kort also suggested that they should “move into the 21st century” and to be more “inclusive”.

He suggested the chair should be notified if a councillor opted to join remotely – with those notifications probably being available in the public domain.

And he suggested the electorate could then look up the information and “make their own judgement about whether that is reasonable or not”.

Responding to suggestions that councillors would take a full part in meetings in the chamber but may not at home, Councillor de Kort highlighted practice in the council chamber and in Parliament.

He highlighted council members wandering in and out of this chamber with cups of coffee – or using their phones.

And he pointed to the House of Commons, where he highlighted that there are not enough seats for all MPs to sit in the chamber.

Labour Councillor Nigel Bell – who attended the meeting remotely, so would not have been able to vote – pointed to the use of fully remote meetings during the covid pandemic.

And he suggested that there had been some disappointment when the provision was dropped.

Councillor Bell also suggested that for councillors to access meetings remotely there should be a “properly valid” reason.

And he suggested that if a particular councillor was “missing” every meeting they would need to provide a proper explanation.

Although the majority of the committee backed the move, in principle, there was not a single common view.

So the committee agreed that members of the county council should be encouraged to respond to the consultation individually – rather than the submission of a formal response by the council’s standards committee.