18 July 2023Peers in the House of Lords continue their scrutiny of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which is currently at the Report Stage of the parliamentary process. On 13 July, peers supported an amendment to enable councils to have the option to hold remote meetings.
Prior to this, Rob Smith, SLCC Chief Executive, wrote to Ministers and Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, the peer who proposed a new clause for the Bill for virtual attendance options, urging them to back the re-introduction of remote meetings. During the debate, Baroness McIntosh referred to the “powerful” briefing she had received from the Local Government Association (LGA) and the SLCC. The bill’s amendment on remote meetings was voted by 169 to 156. However, just because the Lords approve of the option for remote meetings, it doesn’t mean that the government will change its mind. Still some way to go, but it shows that SLCC has helped to move it in the right direction, and we’ll continue to campaign on this with our partners at the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), the LGA, the Association of Democratic Service Officers (ADSO) and others.
My letter to ministers and peers is here.
Read the debate in the House of Lords on 13 July in Hansard (columns 1923-1932)
