Remote Speaking at Planning Committee

Message to all Town and Parish Clerks from WDC’s Democratic Services Manager

Remote Speaking at Planning Committee

We’re delighted to announce that it is now possible for members of the public to speak remotely at Planning Committee if they wish!

We are grateful to our friends in the Comms team who assisted in creating a short video introducing the changes, this can be viewed here.

The relevant permissions for remote speaking were included in the new Constitution and since its adoption we have been working to overcome a couple of technical issues to make it a reality. For the avoidance of doubt, members of the committee must by law continue to attend in person.

We have created a new page on the Council’s website to explain the process for members of the public which can be viewed here. Members of the public wishing to speak at Planning Committee will be directed to this page in the first instance.

In summary:

Members of the public need to register to speak in the normal way, the difference is that they now have the option to register to speak in person or online. Online speakers will be sent instructions but the onus is on the speaker to ensure they have the technical ability to join the meeting remotely, we are unable to offer individual IT support. Democratic Services will manage online speakers during the meeting, we will have the ability to disable cameras and microphones until it is time for the speakers to address the committee. Online speakers will have the same rights and responsibilities as in-person speakers.