Councillors to return to council chamber this week
For the first time since before the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, Powys County Councillors are set to return to the chamber in county hall for a public meeting.
It has been confirmed that the council’s annual meeting at Llandrindod Wells on Thursday, May 26, will be a hybrid meeting.
It means that councillors will be in the chamber for a face-to-face meeting, if they so wish, while others can take part in proceedings online.
Members of the public will also be able to attend, or watch proceedings live online on Powys County Council’s website.
A spokesman for Powys County Council said: “The AGM is going to be a hybrid meeting and it will be available to view online.
“A member of the public has requested to attend the AGM on Thursday which has been granted.”
From last September onwards, some councillors on the planning committee grumbled that they were “sick” and “fed up” of attending meetings online and that they missed county hall.
Others enjoyed not having to spend so much time driving up and down Powys to attend meetings.
Last autumn preparations were being made to start having hybrid meetings from January this year, as the council had to wait for new equipment they had ordered to installed and then tested.
As it turned out, the Omicron Covid-19 wave which appeared in late 2021, stopped any quick return to the chamber.
In 2021, a new law was brought in by the Welsh Government which requires local authorities to ensure their meetings are capable of being held remotely.
The expectation is that all Welsh local authorities, community councils, national park authorities, fire and rescue authorities and port health authorities will broadcast meetings electronically so that members of the public not there, can see and hear proceedings.
It is expected that meetings will be shown live and will remain online available for people to see for some time after the meeting.
