CALLS have been made for Cumberland Council to live-stream all council meetings.

Making a case for open democracy, Colin May of Putting Cumbria First has requested the local unitary authority live-stream all of their meetings so the public can watch them more easily.

He said more people will be able to see the full council meetings, which have recently been moved to 1pm, a time he said is inaccessible to councillors. 

He submitted a Freedom of Information request, asking the council what technology they currently have installed for live-streaming.

In response, he was told: “The council does not currently have the technology in place for filming and streaming.

“However, discussions are ongoing for the provision of streaming council meetings in the future."

He estimated it would cost the Carlisle council building around £500 to install a web presenter with microphone hook-ups.

He also said that the previous Tory-led county council had plans to do meetings at 1pm, which was then heavily criticised by Labour, who have now made the same change while in power.

Gavin Hawkton, of Carlisle Greens, criticised the council’s slow approach: "Online streaming isn't just a convenience; it's a necessity for many who can't physically attend meetings.

“The council's resistance is out of touch with the needs of its community.

"Transparency is the cornerstone of good governance.

“Denying online streaming of meetings raises concerns about the council's commitment to open and accessible decision-making."

“Is the Labour party afraid of scrutiny?

“There's not one good reason to avoid streaming meetings online.”

Responding Lisa Brown, deputy leader of Cumberland Council, said the council has made significant moves towards open democracy and still plans to update its technology to accommodate live streaming

She explained: “We've got meetings at different times of the day, or community network panels are receiving tons of positive feedback so I'm unsure as to where the rumour came that we don't want to stream meetings.

“I'm on record from the beginning of the shadow year with a wish to live stream where possible and our constitution working group is tasked with looking in depth at these matters. 

“The council has many meetings in locations right across the patch, not all of them will be equipped to stream.

“You only have to look at our council plan to see our commitment to open and transparent democracy runs through every part of the organisation.”