Protocol on Webcasting, Recording and Reporting on Council Meetings
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- Introduction
- Webcasting
- How does webcasting work?
- Filming or recording meetings of the county council
- Social media
- Use of the Webcast
- General
- Additional Guidance
Introduction
The county council is committed to open and transparent decision making. This protocol explains the rights of the press and public to report on or record meetings of the council.
All formal meetings of the Council, its Cabinet, committees, sub-committees and joint committees are open to the public, except where there are legal requirements preventing them from being so.
The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 requires local authorities to allow filming of any meeting open to the public. Members of the press or public are not required to give notice of their intention to attend a meeting that is open to the public. However, in order to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place to facilitate attendance, it is requested that individuals with special access needs or large groups wishing to attend a meeting contact Democratic Services in advance of the meeting by emailing democratic.services@lancashire.gov.uk.
Webcasting
The Council provides a webcasting service, whereby meetings are broadcast live over the internet via the Council's website and are also available to view after the meeting.
Scheduled meetings of the following committees are webcast:
- Full Council
- Cabinet
- Audit, Risk and Governance Committee
- Development Control Committee
- Employment Committee
- Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board (meetings that are held in County Hall)
- Lancashire Local Pension Board
- Pension Fund Committee
- Regulatory Committee (including any sub-committees)
- Urgency Committee of the Full Council
- Budget and Finance Scrutiny Committee
- Children, Families and Skills Scrutiny Committee
- Community, Cultural, and Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee
- Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee
- Health and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee
How does webcasting work?
The meetings are webcast using fixed cameras in the meeting rooms. Webcasts will take the form of a video and audio broadcast of the meeting.
Please note that the location of the cameras in the rooms mean that anyone attending the meeting may appear on screen. Whilst the cameras focus on the speaker, anyone sitting behind a speaker may also be shown.
Speakers at Development Control Committee meetings will also be shown and heard on the webcast.
Where possible, if an attendee specifically requests not to be shown on webcast, Democratic Services will seek to identify seating in the meeting room which will not be shown on screen or make facilities available for the person to view from another location. However, this is not available in every room.
Notices will be posted at the venue to advise people that a meeting is to be webcast.
Where councillors at a meeting resolve to exclude the press and public from a meeting because there is likely to be a disclosure of confidential information, those parts of the meeting will not be webcast. This is only done where the council is satisfied that the at least one of the legal exemptions to the duty to hold meetings in public is met.
Webcasts are available on the council's website or by contacting democratic.services@lancashire.gov.uk. Webcasts are retained for 6 years.
Filming or recording meetings of the county council
Members of the public or media are entitled to make their own audio and / or video recording of Council meetings.
Anyone intending to film or record a meeting of the Council should notify Democratic Services in advance of the meeting by emailing democratic.services@lancashire.gov.uk.
Unless specific permission is given by the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting, filming or photography must be from a fixed spot and should aim to focus on the speaker. Any member of the public in attendance who has indicated that they do not wish to be filmed or photographed must not be. In no circumstances should any children in attendance at a meeting be filmed or photographed. County councillors who are members of the Committee may not request that they are not filmed.
You should not film anyone not taking an active part in the meeting. "Active" means:
- Making a speech
- Voting
- During communal or ceremonial sections of meeting (eg announcements at Full Council)
- When actively responding to a speech – applauding, nodding etc
Videos or photographs taken during a meeting should not be subsequently edited in a way that would misrepresent the views of a speaker or the general proceedings.
All recording activity must be done in such a way that does not disrupt or interfere with the running of the meeting or with the ability of other observers to view or record the proceedings. For that reason, large or distracting equipment (such as lighting rigs, flash photography, floor standing cameras) would generally not be allowed without the express permission of the Monitoring Officer.
Anyone recording or attending a meeting is not permitted to provide an oral commentary from within the room.
At Full Council meetings, filming must be done from designated areas agreed by the Chair. For the public, this means the public gallery. Members of the media wishing to film should film from the media benches unless by agreement with the Monitoring Officer, Communications team and the Chair. At Full Council, members may film from their own seat, but must not do so in an invasive way, should retain focus on the decision-making process and utilise the webcast as the first option.
The Chair will inform the meeting if there are aware that there is planned filming taking place.
Social media
Members of the public and the press are welcome to tweet or blog (or use any other form of real time social media) from any meeting of the Council that is open to the public.
Oral commentary from within the meeting room is not permitted.
Any use of social media within a meeting room must not disrupt or interfere with the meeting.
Use of the Webcast
The council will not allow its webcast to be used by candidates or political parties during the pre-election period.
If the public, press or councillors wish to use sections of the webcast, or edit it in any way, they must ensure that this use accurately represents the meeting and any individuals' contribution.
General
All recording must be done in an open and transparent way.
All recording must be conducted in a way that does not disrupt the meeting. In general, all recording devices and equipment should operate quietly and unobtrusively (for example, electronic devices, such as smart phones, should be switched to silent).
Recording of meetings or parts of meetings where the councillors present have legitimately resolved that the press and public must be excluded because there is likely to be a disclosure of confidential information is not permitted.
The rights set out in this protocol are subject to the Council's existing rules on public attendance at meeting, as set out in the Constitution.
These rules allow that, in the event that a member of the public is disrupting the meeting, the Chair of a meeting, after giving a warning, may order that a member of the public be removed from the meeting, or that a meeting be adjourned.
Any queries about this protocol or requests for special permissions requiring the Monitoring Officer's consent, should be directed to Democratic Services by emailing democratic.services@lancashire.gov.uk.
On all matters connected to this Protocol, the decision of the Monitoring Officer (outside of the meeting) or the Chair of the meeting (during the meeting) are final.
Additional Guidance
Additional Guidance for Councillors
View additional guidance for councillors.
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