The High Court recently delivered its judgment in the case of Hertfordshire County Council v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, finding that remote meetings of local councils could not continue after 7 May 2021. This article looks at the decision and considers its impact for future local democracy.
In England council meetings in person are required under Schedule 12 of the Local Government Act 1972 (LGA 1972) and this interpretation had not previously been challenged, although the Department of Communities and Local government published the results of a consultation in 2019 on whether to allow video conferencing for some meetings. Ultimately, subject to safeguards, it was accepted that there would be benefits from some meetings being held virtually where this would facilitate participation but these were limited to meetings of local authorities’ joint committees and combined authorities. In summary these safeguards included requirements that:
- participants…
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