Motion text
That this House is concerned that the emergency regulations that allowed councils to conduct meetings remotely between 2 April 2020 and 7 May 2021, and which enabled disabled people and people with caring responsibilities to fully and fairly participate, are no longer in place; notes the Local Government Association's (LGA) call to reinstate hybrid meetings and their statement that this kind of flexibility is vital in attracting a wider range of people to stand as local election candidates; further notes the findings from the LGA in June 2022 that 72 per cent of councillors surveyed felt a hybrid model could attract more ethnic minority people, younger people and women to stand in local elections; is alarmed by the LGA council survey carried out between October and November 2021, which found that returning exclusively to in-person meetings had resulted in 72 per cent of councils seeing a drop in councillor attendance at statutory meetings and a 73 per cent drop in public attendance; welcomes the findings from a 2021 YouGov survey that found that 60 per cent of people said, given a choice, they would prefer to work remotely at least some of the time and research from the International Energy Agency that suggests remote working can lead to a reduction in climate emissions; and calls on the Government to make democracy more accessible this Disability Pride Month by making permanent the express provision for hybrid council meetings.
Signatures (25)
The first 6 Members who have signed to support the motion are the sponsors. The primary sponsor is generally the person who tabled the motion and has responsibility for it. The date shown is when the Member signed the motion.
Lucas, Caroline
Green Party
Signed on
8 July 2022
Abrahams, Debbie
Labour
Signed on
8 July 2022
Edwards, Jonathan
Independent
Signed on
12 July 2022
Webbe, Claudia
Independent
Signed on
12 July 2022
Cooper, Daisy
Liberal Democrat
Signed on
19 July 2022
Chamberlain, Wendy
Liberal Democrat
Signed on
20 July 2022
In addition to the sponsors, the following Members have signed to support the motion.
Morgan, Helen
Liberal Democrat
Signed on
20 July 2022
Lake, Ben
Plaid Cymru
Signed on
20 July 2022
Whitley, Mick
Labour
Signed on
20 July 2022
Bottomley, Sir Peter
Conservative
Signed on
20 July 2022
Hobhouse, Wera
Liberal Democrat
Signed on
20 July 2022
McDonnell, John
Labour
Signed on
20 July 2022
Yasin, Mohammad
Labour
Signed on
20 July 2022
Lloyd, Tony
Labour
Signed on
20 July 2022
McDonald, Andy
Labour
Signed on
20 July 2022
Moran, Layla
Liberal Democrat
Signed on
20 July 2022
Corbyn, Jeremy
Independent
Signed on
21 July 2022
Sultana, Zarah
Labour
Signed on
5 September 2022
Osborne, Kate
Labour
Signed on
5 September 2022
Cooper, Rosie
Labour
Signed on
5 September 2022
Blake, Olivia
Labour
Signed on
5 September 2022
Johnson, Kim
Labour
Signed on
5 September 2022
Morris, Grahame
Labour
Signed on
5 September 2022
Maskell, Rachael
Labour
Signed on
5 September 2022
Begum, Apsana
Labour
Signed on
17 October 2022
There are no withdrawn signatures for this motion.