No plans for Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northants councils to hold virtual meetings yet

The four councils in North Northamptonshire have not held a virtual meeting since the lockdown began and do not have any planned on the calendar as yet.

Councils across the country have been using virtual technology and platforms such as Zoom so that meetings about services, budgets and coronavirus can take place in the view of the public.

But despite guidance from the Local Government Association and new legislation from central government to enable councils to hold voting procedures online Corby, Kettering, East Northants and Wellingborough councils seem to be behind the rest and flagging behind even parish councils in the county, a number of which have held meetings.

The virtual silence comes at perhaps one of the most crucial times in the local authorities’ histories as they are in the middle of reorganising and forming into a new unitary super council that will be created in twelve months.

Asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service when meetings would begin to take place, there were no definitive answers and none of the four authorities have pencilled in meeting dates on their online calendars.

Kettering Council said it was ‘still working on a solution’ and ‘checking on the capability of councillors’ own equipment to host systems’.

Corby Council said it was ‘assessing the options available and which platform to use’. Wellingborough Council said it “is in the process of trialling a video conferencing tool which will enable the council to continue to deliver its democratic processes and hold Council and committee meetings. It is essential that any service which is implemented is trialled and tested to ensure it robust and secure.”

And East Northamptonshire Council said it is looking into virtual meeting options but until ‘we are confident that the technology is in place to allow these meetings to go ahead, we have taken the decision to postpone a number of them’.

Kettering councillor Maggie Don said she is keen for planning meetings to go ahead and understands the council has the process underway.

She said: “My biggest concern is planning, and it would also be good for the executive committee to meet. I am a trustee of a local charity and we have held Zoom meetings. It is not ideal, but would at least be a little bit of democracy.”

When bringing in the legislation to allow virtual meetings local government secretary Robert Jenrick said it would help them in the coronavirus effort as well ‘while maintaining the transparency we expect in local decision making.’

Parliament went back to work this week and has used Zoom for MPs to take part and ask questions from home.