Wakefield councillors given 'authorised absence' from all meetings until next May

Councillors in Wakefield have been given blanket permission to miss public meetings until May next year.
Meetings at the city's County Hall and Town Hall have been suspended since the pandemic started, with some committees having moved to online briefings.Meetings at the city's County Hall and Town Hall have been suspended since the pandemic started, with some committees having moved to online briefings.
Meetings at the city's County Hall and Town Hall have been suspended since the pandemic started, with some committees having moved to online briefings.

Elected members who miss a certain number of meetings sometimes risk disciplinary action if their absences can't be explained.

But with most public business having been postponed since the COVID pandemic started, the normal rules have been relaxed until the local elections in May next year. All absences will be automatically classed as "authorised".

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Wakefield Council said the move ensured that councillors who'd missed a meeting "prior to and during the period of the pandemic, are not at risk of inadvertent disqualification".

However, some meetings are starting to be held remotely and streamed for the public's benefit on YouTube.

Local Democracy Reporting Service