Council is to meet ‘virtually’
Conference calls to be used
Councillors will now meet virtually as a result of recent government guidance relating to COVID-19.
All political group meetings, committee meetings and council meetings have been temporarily suspended.
Council leader Murray Lyle says the committee which he convenes will deal with matters for the time being.
Cllr Lyle heads up the strategic policy and resources committee and says their executive subcommittee, which includes councillors from across the political spectrum, will continue to meet but their meetings will not be held in public.
He told the PA: “It may meet by conference call.
“I am not anticipating going into the council building.”
The Conservative leader is following government advice to work from home and has been doing so via emails, phone calls and conference calls.
Perth and Kinross Council is liaising closely with NHS Tayside and Cllr Lyle suspects daily crisis meetings will become the new norm now, as both the prime minister and first minister began issuing daily updates this week.
The council leader revealed he himself sits in the vulnerable category as he suffers from the chronic inflammatory lung disease chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
He said: “I am going to take stock of what I do and don’t do.”
He expects there may be occasions where he may need to go into the council building but is hoping to stay at home as much as he can.
The Conservative has never been hit with such a crisis during his time as leader but the farmer drew some comparisons with how foot and mouth disease brought farming to a standstill in 2001.
Millions of cows and sheep were killed to stop the disease and it was estimated to have cost the UK economy several billion pounds.
He said: “It was a difficult time and I have no doubt this will be a difficult time.”
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “We are continuing to follow all official advice.
“We are currently asking all staff to postpone or cancel non-essential meetings, activities and events for the foreseeable future.
“This includes political group meetings, council and committee meetings political group leaders have agreed to take essential strategic decisions virtually where possible.
“This will be kept under review.
“It is important to note that these are preparatory measures to allow staff the time to build resilience by planning, training and upskilling staff to support core services.”