On Air Now

Darren Lethem

6:00pm - 10:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Listen Live Advertise

County Council Remote Meetings to Continue

Friday, 30 July 2021 07:20

By Matthew Pells with additional reporting from Stuart Minting, Local Democracy Reporter

North Yorkshire County Council will continue to meet online for the time being.

Remote Meetings have become the norm since the lockdowns started and for North Yorkshire County Council they are going to continue until at least September.

Council Leader Carl Les says there a re number of reasons to stick with them for the time being.

The authority moved all it's meetings online at the start of the pandemic.They are now going to continue with the virtual gatherings until September when it's hoped all staff and councillors will have been double jabbed.

Councillor Stuart Parsons thinks there have been other benefits to meeting remotely.

County Councillor David Staveley also thinks the online meetings have had hidden benefits. He says holding the meetings online and allowing the public to view the meetings in real time has lead to more public involvement in the decision making process.

Scarborough Borough Council is also continuing with online meetings for the time being but it's not the case across the whole of North Yorkshire. Five out of the county’s seven district and borough councils said they would stage all their meetings in council chambers.

Many local authorities have expressed frustration after the government declined to extend the permission it gave during lockdown for decision-making council meetings to be held online, saying meetings should be held in person with appropriate social distancing measures.

However, critics have accused the government of hypocrisy, highlighting how relatively empty the House of Commons continues to be during debates as MPs are allowed to join parliamentary discussions online.

Earlier this year a number of councils in the region, including North Yorkshire County Council, moved to side-step the rules by empowering senior officers to authorise or decline councillors’ recommendations.

 

Share

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today

More from Yorkshire Coast News

Comments

Add a comment

Log in to the club or enter your details below.

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Light rain

    High: 21°C | Low: 14°C

  • Filey

    Light rain

    High: 21°C | Low: 14°C

  • Whitby

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 20°C | Low: 13°C

  • Bridlington

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 22°C | Low: 13°C

  • Hornsea

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 21°C | Low: 13°C

  • Driffield

    Medium-level cloud

    High: 22°C | Low: 14°C

News

© Copyright 2026 This is the Coast Limited. This is the Coast is licensed by PRS & PPL to stream music online. Powered by Aiir.