Public unable to attend in-person Enfield Council meetings

The council said the current practice of livestreaming meetings over the internet will continue after May 7, with the recordings subsequently published on its website.

Councils have been holding virtual meetings that are livestreamed via the internet since April last year, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But minister of state for regional growth and local government Luke Hall wrote to local authorities last month telling them the Government would not extend emergency legislation allowing meetings to be held virtually.

Explaining the decision, Mr Hall cited the “impact it would have on the Government’s legislative programme” and the “excellent progress that has been made on our vaccination programme and the announcement of the Government’s roadmap for lifting Covid-19 restrictions”.

The minister said councils were being given support and guidance to hold face-to-face meetings in a safe and secure way from May 7.

Enfield Council confirmed most meetings will be held at the Civic Centre, but some will require larger venues in order to meet the current social distancing requirements.

Members and officers will abide by Government and public health guidance for the pandemic, the council added.

But public attendance “will not be possible due to the size of the meeting rooms and social distancing measures”, the authority said.

The approach taken by Enfield Council differs from that of its neighbour in Barnet, where the public will be allowed to attend meetings at Hendon Town Hall – although there will be limits on the on the number of people who can be there in person.

Haringey Council said meetings will be held “in a combination of council premises and local venues used for council meetings, details of which will be given on the published agenda”.

“Each meeting will be risk assessed to ensure Covid safety requirements are met, and currently meetings will continue to be live streamed,” the council added.

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