Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has confirmed that councillors in England will be permitted to participate in debates from the comfort of their own homes via their computers. Prior to this, it was mandated by law that they attend certain meetings in person. Although this was temporarily suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, the expiry of the regulations has reinstated the requirement for councillors to attend in person.
However, Rayner’s proposed new rules allow councillors to participate remotely and to vote on behalf of others unable to attend, for reasons such as childcare or health issues. The decision on whether councillors should be in attendance remotely or use proxy voting for relevant circumstances will be left to local authorities, according to Rayner’s message to local government leaders at the Local Government Association’s annual conference in Harrogate.
In an LGA survey of about one-third of English councils conducted last year, nine out of ten councillors would have been willing to participate were remote meetings allowed. Rayner told the conference that this proposal would enable people from a broad range of lives to be involved in local democracy, even if they have care responsibilities or are unable to attend in person because of illness or disability.
Rayner has also made the decision that councillors are not obligated to reveal their home addresses, confirmation that has already received support from the LGA, who had pushed for this change due to an increased incidence of intimidation and abuse local councillors are experiencing. The government has begun a public consultation on the proposed new rules.
Rayner also confirmed that councils could exclude councillors accused of disruptive behaviour. Although the Conservatives had been providing annual funding, Rayner has stated her intention to revert to multi-year funding settlements and the cessation of local authorities competing against each other for the award of government grants. There is, however, no suggestion that the forthcoming budget would provide additional funding for local authorities that are experiencing financial difficulty; approximately one-quarter stated they are probable to require emergency assistance from the government within the ensuing two years if further cash is not forthcoming
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