Warrington Borough Council is joining other local authorities across Cheshire in urging the government to reconsider its position on council meetings.
Last month, a temporary relaxation of regulations requiring council meetings to be held in physical venues expired. The Government has decided not to renew this measure, which means all local authorities are now expected to once more hold meetings in a physical environment.
Now, the council leaders of Warrington, Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East and Halton have written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to express their concerns over the current situation.
In a joint letter to Rt. Hon. Robert Jenrick MP, Cllr Russ Bowden (Warrington), Cllr Louise Gittens (Cheshire West & Chester), Cllr Sam Corcoran (Cheshire East) and Cllr Mike Wharton (Halton) have urged the government to reinstate on-line meetings to reduce the risks around physical meetings, while Covid-19 infections continue.
The letter highlights the significant rise in Covid-19 infection rates within Cheshire and Warrington, mainly caused by the Delta variant. As well as the safety risks of holding physical meetings, recent weeks have seen a number of elected members being contacted by the National ‘Track and Trace’ system and advised to isolate. This means that they cannot attend Council meetings.
Warrington Borough Council Leader, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “The current situation, with infection rates on the rise – not just in Cheshire and Warrington, but across the country – means it is premature for local authorities to have to continue with physical meetings. It poses major health risks, at a time when we need to be doing everything we can to bring infection rates down.
“This is compounded by the fact that many of our councillors are unable to take part in meetings at all, because they are self-isolating. Any decision which results in councillors being excluded from council meetings cannot be good for democracy and local decision making, and needs to be addressed.
“We respectfully request that the Government urgently reconsiders its position and reinstates online meetings, which have proved to be very successful in conducting Council business in an open and transparent manner. It will help us to ensure that we can continue our important local democratic processes with flexibility.”
