Tags: Coronarvirus

Face-to-face meetings

Both NALC and SLCC still strongly advise local councils to continue to meet remotely, without the need for face-to-face contact. If your council wishes to consider returning to face-to-face meetings we have produced a checklist to help ensure this decision is made in accordance with relevant regulations and requirements.

From 4 July these can also reopen but only if this can be done safely. Councils again need to risk assess these areas ahead of re-opening and consider signage relating to use of hand sanitiser and playing at least 1 metre apart. Children should ideally be supervised by parents to maintain good hygiene.

Following the Government announcement of further easing of lockdown restrictions from 4 July, NALC and SLCC strongly advise local councils to continue to meet remotely, without the need for face to face contact. Government rules still state that we should all work from home if we can. Local councils have the powers to hold public meetings remotely by using video or telephone conferencing technology... Read More »

National ALC has updated its guidance on holding remote meetings to include more information on risks, security and using telephone conference calls. This is in addition to the advice we have produced locally in Norfolk

At a very early stage (on 16th March), Councillor Jeremy Rowe united a small group of local people that included representatives from the different parish councils and South Norfolk District Council's Early Help Hub. The group of seven produced 4,000 leaflets, which were then distributed to every home across the area, as well as being given out at strategic points, for example outside the local Co-op... Read More »

The short answer is no - the law has not changed and proxy voting is not allowed in local councils. That is a key driver in the sector's urgency to push the Coronavirus Act 2020 and subsequent 2020 Regulations through so quickly - to enable local government and other similar bodies to be able to keep functioning.

So the two options for local councils to ensure they continue to make legally binding decisions... Read More »

An example of locally produced guidance for those attending virtual meetings can be found in our members Document section of the website.

You will also find the locally produced revised Standing Orders example, the NALC guide to remote meetings, together with two legal updates ( LO1-20 on virtual meetings and L02-20 updating on employment law) now included within our database.

HARLING PARISH COUNCIL'S RESPONSE TO THE COVID19 PANDEMIC

Across 4 days …….

Wednesday 18th March 2020

An extraordinary meeting of the Parish Council was held, this meeting scheduled as soon as the council realised the seriousness of this virus and the impact it may have on their Parish.

At this meeting they invited Dr A Hayward, a retired GP in East Harling. Dr Hayward advised the council... Read More »