No live broadcasts of council meetings

CLARE County Councillors have decided not to go ahead with a live broadcast of its statutory meetings, despite a proposal from Councillor Brian Meaney.
The contentious issue was discussed at a recent Standing Orders Sub-Committee, which recommended that the local authority should not proceed with this plan and this was adopted by members at their June meeting on Monday.
Senior executive officer, Michael McNamara told councillors some research had been done in relation to the system of live broadcasts of council meetings over the internet and its impact in Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Council, where it has been in operation for some time.
“The average number of people who view the proceedings live there is 35 per month, while the number who accessed the archives to view the proceedings there was in the region of 235 per month.
“These are the statistics from a local authority area with a population of 194,000 and where access to broadband is more readily available throughout than is at present the case in County Clare,” he explained.
County solicitor, John Shaw advised Clare County Council not to proceed with the project.
“It is my view that by broadcasting proceedings on the net, the council would in effect be publishing statements to a wider audience than envisaged in legislation to provide for a defence of qualified privilege.
“The potential would exist for individual members to negate any such defence on their own part and on the part of the local authority by acting with malice in a legal sense.
“If it is decided for other reasons to proceed with the broadcast, then in my view broadcasts should be delayed by five to 10 minutes to allow for an emergency situation to be dealt with in the event a speaker does act in a manner, which gives rise for a concern as to the liability of the council, whatever about the speaker,” he stated.
Councillor Brian Meaney argued it would be sensible to proceed with webcasting because it would remove any debate in the public over decisions that were taken and who said what, where and when at a council meeting.
A proposal calling for the use of laptops to be banned at council meetings was rejected by 14 votes to 10.
Councillor Meaney warned he would not comply with any ban of the use of laptops if it was introduced by the council.
“Clare County Council gave me a laptop for the purpose of downloading material, which is necessary for meetings. Every councillor has been given a laptop and has an opportunity to use one. The use of technology facilitates easy access to information, which can improve the quality of debate at meetings,” he said.
He was support by Councillor Joe Arkins, who felt the ban didn’t make sense, while an attack on the proposal was launched by Councillor Patricia McCarthy.
Having worked for 31 years as a councillor, she asked how members of the media could be treated differently and be allowed to use their personal computers but councillors were being asked to consider different treatment for them.