Council set to move to hybrid meetings as Covid restrictions eased

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Caerphilly County Borough Council hopes to move to hybrid meetings come the Autumn after coronavirus restrictions were eased in Wales.

A hybrid meeting will mean some councillors will be present at the chamber and some will join the meeting online from their homes.

The council has conducted all meetings remotely via Microsoft Teams since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Council leader Philippa Marsden said: “Whilst we are Alert Level Zero, we are acutely aware the virus is still within our communities and as such we all still need to remain cautious.

“All council business and operations are informed by a risk assessment to ensure all Covid risks are managed appropriately. As a council we have adopted an agile working operating model and the use of technology is an integral element of this.

“As such, as long as the Covid conditions remain favourable, we will be moving from fully remote meetings to the use of hybrid meetings in the Autumn.”

Prior to the pandemic, meetings were held at the council’s headquarters at Ty Penallta, Tredomen.

Councillor Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “A lot of councillors are keen to return to face-to-face meetings but other members believe the present system of meetings over Microsoft Teams is best for them.

“Council staff are being given the opportunity of choosing whether to work from home or come into the office and it therefore seems logical that councillors have the option of what system they prefer while the pandemic continues.

“Personally, I don’t mind meetings in person or over the internet. But as a member of Gwent’s Police and Crime Panel, we are holding face-to-face meetings, something that seemed very strange the first time.”