Council to broadcast its Local Plan Cabinet meeting live to the internet

On 3 April, local authorities in England were handed new powers to hold public meetings virtually by either video or telephone conferencing technology. 

We held our first meeting, a Licensing Board meeting, under these new regulations on Tuesday 14 April and have been sharing our experiences with neighbouring authorities.

Cllr Rick Everitt, Leader of Thanet District Council, said:

“It’s fantastic that our Democratic Services team has implemented a virtual solution so quickly and that Thanet is among the local authorities leading the way on this. Enabling decision making to continue during this period of social distancing is an important part of the council continuing its work on behalf of residents.

“Members of the public and media are able to tune into the meeting via the live stream link available on our website where they will also find the agenda pack. For many of our residents who might not ordinarily come to these meetings, online streaming may be a good way for them to witness first hand how decisions at the council are made.”

The live streams from public council meetings will be recorded and available to view again on our YouTube page shortly after.  The team is committed to providing the best viewing experience possible so if people have feedback following the meeting, please email committee@thanet.gov.uk.

The two key items on Cabinet’s agenda are adoption of the Thanet Destination Management Framework and the Thanet Local Plan following the publication of the Inspectors’ Report which found it ‘sound’ subject to the Main Modifications recommended.

Cabinet’s recommendations on the Local Plan will then be considered by the Overview & Scrutiny Panel and ultimately by Full Council, which is the final decision-making body. Details of these meetings will be published in due course.