Councillors can beam into meetings

City councillors will be able to attend and vote at meetings remotely, after a vote yesterday to approve the practice.

Taking part by audio or audio-visual link, though, will be at the discretion of the person chairing the meeting.

To be allowed to attend by audio-visual technology, the councillor must be either representing the council elsewhere, live more than 75km by road from the meeting, be ill, or subject to unforeseen circumstances that makes presence at the meeting impossible.

The councillor, while allowed to vote, would not count towards a quorum.

Corporate services group manager Sandy Graham said audio-visual links could be used for non-public meetings, and security would be a matter for the person in charge of the meeting.

The meeting voted unanimously to approve the change.

•The council voted to approve for consultation a freedom camping bylaw making it an offence for camper vans without toilet facilities to camp outside private campgrounds or designated areas.

It would allow for instant fines.

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