Eastleigh holds first virtual Cabinet meeting in the county
The first ‘virtual’ Cabinet meeting to be held in Hampshire following the COVID-19 lockdown took place when Eastleigh Borough Council’s Cabinet met online at 11am on 27 April.
The Council’s first ground breaking online meeting ensured that all eight Cabinet Councillors were able to participate, contribute and vote without the need to attend the Council’s Eastleigh House offices. It meant that the Council can continue with important business and make key decisions about Council services and activities that can also be viewed by the public during the Covid-19 crisis.
Guidance from the Coronavirus Act 2020 has temporarily removed the legal requirement for Councils to hold public meetings in person.
The Council has worked on technological arrangements which allowed the meeting to be streamed live, enabling members of the public to watch in a virtual capacity using Microsoft Teams live events.
Council Leader Keith House said, “Holding ‘virtual’ meetings means Council business can continue whilst ensuring the health and safety of councillors, our staff and the public in line with official public health guidance during the Covid-19 crisis.”
He added, “This is a great opportunity for the Council to use digital technology for virtual meetings as we continue to take key decisions about important local issues for our communities. We plan to hold more meetings such as our Local Area Committees that consider planning applications in this way and are exploring ways for the public to be able to participate too.”
Watch a recording of the Cabinet meeting held on 27 April 2020.
The recording is available for seven days until 5 May.