The South Gloucestershire Cabinet will meet publicly online for the first time on Monday 27 April, using technology to keep Council business running as close to normally during the COVID-19 outbreak. The meeting will be open to the public to watch, although there will be some changes to normal process to allow for the fact that the meeting will not be able to take place in person.
Cabinet members will be online to discuss their agenda at 2pm on Monday, with the leaders of the two opposition groups also present and able to ask questions of the Council leadership. Monday’s agenda includes reports on how South Gloucestershire Council will act in response to climate change; the programme of infrastructure projects to be developed in the coming year; transport needs for Yate; and the process of updating the Local Plan; and steps to tackle inequalities in the district.
Council Leader, Toby Savage, will also provide an update on how the authority is responding to the COVID-19 situation.
Questions received in advance from most Councillors will be responded to during the meeting, with the opposition group leaders able to put follow-up queries to Cabinet at the meeting itself. While it will not be possible for members of the public to speak on topics that are important to them in the way they would if the meeting was being held physically, any member of the public may submit a written statement, question or petition to this meeting. The deadline for submission is 24 hours before the meeting, which means that submissions must be received by 2pm on Friday 24 April 2020 at the latest. Please email submissions to democratic.services@southglos.gov.uk
Members of the public will be able to watch the meeting online. Details of how to access the meeting are available on our website at https://southglos.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/484809
Councillor Savage said: “We are all having to adapt our personal and working lives to do our part in combatting the COVID-19 outbreak, but as a council, wherever possible, we are committed to ensuring that normal business can continue. I am pleased that we have found a digital solution to allow us to meet, but also that we can do that in public, as it should be.
“Of course our response to the current situation is at the forefront of our minds, but we also need to think about our area’s future, including our response to climate change. This is about looking ahead and considering how we will grow and develop as a community in the coming years, tackle inequalities among our residents, as well as being responsive in addressing local priorities.
“Myself and Cabinet colleagues have been involved in a whole host of meetings using digital technology with council officers who are doing excellent work in focussing the authority’s resources to supporting the local and national efforts to combat COVID-19. I am pleased that we are also able to take public council business online so that we can continue to represent the people of South Gloucestershire in an open and democratic way. While we are required to follow social distancing measures, we plan to conduct as many public meetings as we can using digital solutions in this way.”
