Hucknall: Ashfield Independent Councillors call for return to remote County Council meetings due to Coronavirus guidance

Ashfield Independent Councillors on Nottinghamshire County Council have repeated their calls for a return to remote council meetings.

Despite the Government announcing their 'work from home when you can' advice during 'plan B' – no such advice exists for councillors.

Councillor David Martin, health spokesperson for the Independent Alliance at County Hall claimed it was '…bonkers' that councillors were still expected to meet in huge numbers.

Councillor Martin, a councillor for the Selston Division of Nottinghamshire County Council said: "With all the talk of Downing Street parties and questions about the motivations behind new lockdown rules – it would be easy to forget that councillors are still expected to pack like sardines in meetings dictating to others about social distancing.

"One of the successes of the pandemic was the fact that it forced councils like Nottinghamshire to finally do more things online. Not only does it protect council officers but also councillors and significantly reduces our carbon footprint."

There have been consistent calls from councils to allow remote meetings since temporary legislation that allowed this lapsed in May. Ministers have previously stated that there is insufficient parliamentary time to legislate for this. The Local Government Association has confirmed that all their meetings are now 100% online.

Councillor Martin said: "It's bonkers – next week we have a meeting of the Council's Adult Social Care and Public Health committee. We will be discussing 'plan B' and its implications across Nottinghamshire. We are in the crazy situation where councillors will be doing the very thing that Government advice tells us not to.

"The Government needs to legislate to ensure we can get back to meeting online. The way that council meetings happen worked perfectly during the pandemic and we should ensure that public have the confidence that meetings are held consistent with government advice. If they tell us that lives are in danger by working together – the same advice should apply for meeting together."