Folkestone and Hythe Lib Dems welcome news that District Council will finally webcast meetings

More than eight years after Folkestone and Hythe Lib Dems Lynne Beaumont and Tim Prater called on the then Shepway District Council to webcast meetings, they've finally gone ahead and done it!

The Council announced on Tuesday that they would be web casting their first meeting, the controversial planning meeting to discuss plans to alter the Folkestone seafront development. All future meetings will now be available to stream on their website at https://folkestone-hythe.public-i.tv/core/portal/home.

Tim Prater welcomed the news, which comes more than eight years after the District Council agreed a Liberal Democrat motion calling on them to web cast meetings, but feels more could be done.

Commenting, he said:

"This has been a long time coming. It doesn't go far enough though. Technology has moved on. The Council should be looking at taking public questions via the internet, using both their site and social media to its fullest effect. The public have a right to scrutinise, and be heard by, their elected representatives."

The motion from the Liberal Democrat group, which was passed unopposed on 25th November 2009, stated that:

That this Council notes the example of Kent County Council, Maidstone Borough Council and others in involving the wider community in Council business through live and recorded web casting of many Council meetings.

That this Council supports the principle of web casting of its meetings if a suitable media partner can be found to deliver it at very limited cost, or the possibility of no cost to this Council.