Live streaming of Council meetings

This is a copy of the speech I gave in support of a motion put forward by Labour Councillors to live stream Council meetings. The motion was defeated - all but one Tory Councillor voted against it. I'm going to continue to promote the idea - if anyone has any additional information, contacts, thoughts and comments that might help, please do let me know. Thanks.

Motion to Full Council

27 February 2014

In its vision to 'Develop a better District', this Council commits to communicating honestly and openly with customers and colleagues at all times.

The live broadcast of public meetings would significantly enhance the Council's ability to achieve this.

This Council therefore resolves to enable live broadcast of public meetings within the next six months.

Last night I watched a Telford and Wrekin Council Budget Meeting on Youtube. I was the 304^th person to do this. Then I watched a Council meeting from Wakefield. I lead a quiet life...

415 people had watched the Wakefield Council meeting live, as it happened. A further 312 had watched it on the free digital broadcast platform Bambuser.

As is often the case at our own Council, only a handful of local residents attended the meetings in person.

The quality of both broadcasts was good; not perfect, but good. Councillors were clearly identified, camera work was simple but effective, the audio was clear.

The investment made by both Councils to make this happen was in the low hundreds.

Wakefield Council used a Samsung Galaxy Camera and an i-Rig mic and tripod. Telford and Wrekin used a iPhone with an i-rig mic and tripod. The meeting was simultaneously tweeted.

Both Councils worked in partnership with local experts – bloggers, community website editors – to make the live streaming happen. The partnerships are strong and evolving. Other events are now planned, including a 'Question time' for Councillors to respond to residents' concerns live. Because the technology is transportable, the Councils aren't limited by where and when they can use it.

We must all recognise that the internet is where significant numbers – not all, but significant numbers - of people get their information these days. 60 per cent of adults have a smartphone, 80 per cent of homes have internet access.

We must also accept that we often struggle to engage people in local democracy. The average turnout at the local elections in this District in 2012 was 31 per cent: nothing to be proud of. The average attendance by members of the public at public meetings held in this Chamber is low. And I don't think we should be feeling proud that 113 people took part in a District-wide consultation on our strategic plan.

Live streaming Council meetings isn't a cure-all. It will be of absolutely no interest to some people.

Nevertheless, live streaming offers us a cheap and effective way to get more people more involved in the democratic process. It makes us more visible as individual Councillors, and more accountable as a Council. It will give people the chance to understand how decisions that affect their daily lives are reached.

And as our budget shrinks and the services we provide become more vulnerable, how we communicate these decisions is more important than ever.

Daventry District Council has over 3,000 followers on Twitter, and over 600 on Facebook. We are in a good position to take this motion forward. I propose that we do so by identifying potential partners to help us develop the low-cost and low-tech approach to live streaming taken by Telford and Wrekin and Wakefield councils, and by increasing numbers of other local authorities. We might approach local schools and businesses, or the University of Northampton. We could engage the services of volunteers or establish a social enterprise. The opportunities are out there...

Eric Pickles, who I rarely quote with any enthusiasm, has called on councils to 'open their digital doors'. He's also said 'Councillors shouldn't be shy about the public seeing the good work they do in championing local communities and local interests'.

So, I call on members not to shy. Make a commitment to live stream our public meetings; and do it soon so that we can be ready for Democracy Week in October.