Council blasted over ‘secret’ meetings
South Ayrshire Council bosses have been slammed for throwing an ongoing “shroud of secrecy”over their dealings.
Meetings continue to be held behind closed doors more than a year after the outbreak of Covid. Officials say it could be the end of DECEMBER - almost two years on from the pandemic’s start - that they begin live streaming sessions to the public. The row over a so-called denial of democracy has seen complaints lodged with the Scottish Government.
But officials in Holyrood say they have “no general powers”to force councils to act and said:“The decision to live stream meetings is ultimately a matter for each individual council.
“However, in the interests of openness, democracy and transparency, we would strongly encourage councils to make every effort for this to happen.
“There are options available which enable councils to competently and inclusively conduct remote meetings and live stream these meetings to the public - it has already been demonstrated by other councils that this is possible.”
The authority has now claimed installation of cameras throughout County Buildings could even require listed building consent - further delaying the process.
Former council leader, Tory Hugh Hunter, has been pushing for meetings to be broadcast without success.
He said:“There is a popular phrase that ‘Sunlight is the best disinfectant’.
“It would appear that two years has not been nearly long enough.”
A council spokesperson said:“In line with other authorities, at the outset of lockdown in March 2020, the Council decided to cancel all meetings until June 30, 2020. As the longer term lockdown requirements emerged, the Council took a decision to procure and install an integrated audio and visual solution, with the ability to capture live Council meetings on a remote and hybrid basis, a facility the Council did not possess, in common with many, but not all authorities. That process has been ongoing since last autumn and was impacted by the unprecedented high demand experienced by the service providers, it is now nearing its conclusion.”