Waverley Borough Council meeting branded 'an appalling waste of public money'
The authority says it has been forced to hold it at Farnham Maltings so everyone can socially distance safely
Last updated 7th Jul 2021
Waverley Borough Council's holiding it's full council meeting in the Great Hall at Farnham Maltings tonight.
Leader Councillor Paul Follows says it's because the Council Chamber in Godalming issn't big enough to fit everyone in and socially distance safely.
During the pandemic meetings have been held online after the government removed the legal requirement to hold public meetings in person.
The council had been holding its meetings via Zoom and streaming them live on its YouTube channel. That suspension came to an end last month.
Councillor Paul Follows, Leader of Waverley Borough Council said:
"The safety of members of the public, our staff and councillors is our number one priority and we simply can't accommodate everyone with adequate social distancing in our Council Chamber.
"Fortunately, we have been able to secure an alternative venue within the borough, but it is ridiculous that we have been forced to take this action to ensure we can undertake the essential business of the council to serve our residents effectively.
"The last year has demonstrated that we can very successfully hold virtual meetings, and we are extremely disappointed that parliament will not extend to local authorities the same right to attend meetings remotely that they enjoy as MPs.
"Moving our Full Council meeting to an alternative venue costs several thousand pounds, and this is an appalling waste of public money and our officers' time, when both are still desperately needed to support our communities through the pandemic."