Agenda item

Joint report of the Town Clerk, Remembrancer and the Comptroller & City Solicitor (TO FOLLOW).

The Committee considered a joint report of the Town Clerk, Remembrancer and Comptroller & City Solicitor addressing the introduction of “virtual meetings” and the proposed next steps in relation to the policy, governance and financial implications arising from the introduction of a new meeting management arrangement. The report also commented more generally on the existing practice of annotating access requirements in committee papers by reference to the Local Government Act 1972.

Members welcomed the report as a sensible move towards facilitating increased participation at meetings, whilst recognising legal barriers or practical considerations which needed to be worked through. The pilot exercise being undertaken at the City of London Freemen’s School was endorsed as a prudent approach to identifying and resolving any issues, with a view to wider implementation in due course.

RESOLVED: That:-

1.       the principle of officers and Members fully participating in the discussion at meetings of the Board of Governors of the City of London Freemen’s School via video link, on a trial basis be endorsed;

2.       the Chamberlain be instructed to report, in consultation with the City Surveyor, on the necessary budget allocation to enable the holding of such meetings and facilitating virtual meetings more generally; and

3.       the Town Clerk be requested to review the way in which Committee papers are currently annotated by reference to the Local Government Act 1972 and advise the Committee of the revised practice proposed, taking account of the advice contained in the report.