Councillor proposes live Council web broadcasts

County Council meetings could be broadcast live


Anton McNulty

Mayo County Councillors and Council Executives may have to spruce up before their next council meetings if a proposal to broadcast meetings online gets the go-ahead.
The motion to broadcast monthly council meetings live on the web was proposed by Fianna FΡil councillor Lisa Chambers, who claimed that it would bring the council ‘into the 21st century’ and encourage more people to engage in politics.
Cllr Chambers pointed out that a number of local authorities in the UK and some in Dublin already stream their meetings online, and she suggested that Mayo County Council look into the idea.
“This will bring the council into the 21st century, because it is not okay to record our meetings in typed format. It is archaic … people are not engaging that way. People will be able to tune in on the day of a meeting and understand that we are representing them on their behalf. It will help more people engage in politics, especially young people,” she said.
Cllr Chambers said she did not expect the council to introduce webcasting straight away but asked that the cost of doing so could be looked into.
The County Secretary, John Condon, explained that the figures from other local authorities that broadcast their meetings was disappointing, with only ten to 12 people tuning into the meetings.
He added that the more elaborate the system, the higher the cost. He also warned that broadcasting the meetings could have legal implications.
Cllr Chambers proposal gained support from Independent councillor Gerry Ginty, who said that people had the right to know what was said at the meetings. However, he added that people might be turned off by what was said in the council chamber. In relation to Mr Condon’s comments on the disappointing viewer figures, he quipped that Mayo County Council is ‘much more entertaining’.
Fine Gael councillor Jarlath Munnelly said the matter may be something the SPC on Corporate Affairs could look into.