‘Hybrid approach’ to meetings supported

POLITICIANS SHOULD at least partially embrace the changes brought about by coronavirus to make national and local government more accessible, Yorkshire figures have said.

The pandemic has seen the House of Commons and House of Lords shift to online, while council meetings across the country have also migrated to being held virtually.

And politicians from all sides of the party divide have said there are lessons to be learned.

The Conservative leader of North Yorkshire County Council, Coun Carl Les, said there would be some meetings where it would be essential to get back in person.

But he said: “It’s very useful not to have to travel to get to some meetings. I managed to do three meetings in a row last week where if I would have to travel between each one, there’s no way I’d be able to do that. So I think there is a value with virtual meetings.”

He hoped a hybrid approach would be adopted in the future where for some meetings, virtual participation could be made an option, as he had also heard anecdotal evidence that public attendances at meetings had also increased due to people being able to tune in online.

Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield, has been shielding since the beginning of the pandemic and said the use of programmes such as Zoom has allowed him to continue representing his constituents.

Mr Sheerman told The Yorkshire Post that the move to allow MPs to take part in debates virtually had “saved the sanity” of many.

He said any pressure from the Leader of the House, Jacob ReesMogg, for MPs to return quicker than Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle suggested would be “dangerous”.

Sir Lindsay has outlined how he wants the Commons to return to normal, on an albeit slower trajectory than the Government’s road map out of the latest lockdown.

Mr Sheerman said: “We have used the new technologies, Zoom and everything else, marvellously to do that, to reach out to more people.”