Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020
At nearly all levels, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the construction industry into a rapid re-evaluation and evolution of the methods and processes by which it works. And though the motivating circumstances for these changes are terrible, it’s also possible that the immediacy of the need will pave the way for newer ways of working that, aside from being safer in a time of social distancing, might also be an effective blueprint for the future.
The planning system may well prove a good example. The Government moved quickly to make sure that, with Council meetings needing to be abandoned, the process doesn’t just grind to a halt. With social distancing and remote working the keystones of any progress in the current climate, and with many local planning authorities choosing to delegate decision making to Chief Executive and Directors of Planning for an initial 3-month period, legislation to authorised virtual meetings has been rapidly pushed through Parliament. Now in force, the regulations will extend to all meetings held on or before 7th May 2021.
The regulations mean meetings can be held virtually, and in the case of planning committees, held in more than one place, including electronic, digital or virtual locations such as internet locations, web addresses or conference call telephone numbers. A member of the committee can now be “in remote attendance” at a virtual meeting where they are able to hear and be heard by any members of the public attending the meeting - overriding any existing standing order that would normally prevent this. A local authority may also make other standing orders that vary the way in which meetings are conducted, so there is also room for both flexibility and variation in the application of these new regulations.
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