Councillors to block broadcast of meetings? (From Echo)
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Southend councillors to block broadcast of meetings?
9:00am Friday 23rd November 2012 in Local News
OUTRAGED councillors have vowed to scupper plans to spend £82,000 broadcasting their meetings across the internet.
Tory chiefs at Southend Council rubber-stamped proposals to install cameras in the Civic Centre’s main chamber, allowing residents to watch proceedings from the comfort of their own homes, earlier this month. But the decision went against the recommendations of an all-party scrutiny committee, which ruled the service was too costly in the current cash-strapped climate.
Snubbed councillors have now called for the opposition parties to come together to block the plans.
Martin Terry, spokesman for the council’s Independent group and leader of the opposition, said: “This is money we can ill afford to spend at this time.
“It might only be a few thousand pounds to some people, but to others it is money which could be better used elsewhere.
“Statistics have shown that broadcasting meetings is not popular and no one watches them.”
After May’s elections left the Tories one seat short of an overall majority in the council chamber, they agreed to run most major decisions through the three all-party scrutiny committees before reaching a final verdict.
The decision to press ahead with installing the cameras is the first time the Conservatives have ignored the committees’ recommendations.
If the Independents, Liberal Democrats and Labour unite to vote down the proposals at next month’s full council meeting , the issue could be sent back to the scrutiny committee for further debate.
Castle Point Council is currently the only authority in south Essex which broadcasts its meetings, which it started in February 2008.
Southend Council officers said the impending need to update the microphone system in the main chamber presented the ideal opportunity to introduce broadcasting.
The cameras would be programmed to focus on whoever switched on their microphone to speak, allowing meetings to be broadcast with minimal effort and cost.
Bosses estimate installing the system would cost £62,000, with maintenance and upgrades costing an extra £20,000 annually.
Comments(19)
fletch12107
says...
10:08am Fri 23 Nov 12
maxell
says...
10:13am Fri 23 Nov 12
this could easily be done with the use of ip cameras round about the £200 pound mark each a router/rj45 hub £300 a software controlled switcher to switch ips making it viewable from the same website, Could be done from a laptop and somebody to cable it in max cost 5k
my ip camera has been running 7 years without maintenance.
black jack ketchum
says...
10:23am Fri 23 Nov 12
After all its easy spendning money when its not your own!
Eric Whim
says...
10:35am Fri 23 Nov 12
jayman
says...
11:54am Fri 23 Nov 12
Shoebury_Cyclist
says...
11:58am Fri 23 Nov 12
jayman wrote:Here you go, less than thirty seconds after Googling 'Southend council minutes':
why don't the council just publish 'easy to access' 'properly indexed' minuets of council meetings. I challenge anyone to navigate around the council website and find the minuets and scrutiny comments without wasting a day doing so.
http://apps.southend
.gov.uk/minutes/
Ian P
says...
12:10pm Fri 23 Nov 12
Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:I guess that is because you spelt the word minutes correctly. It is doubtful if the word minuets occurs anywhere on the SBC web site.
jayman wrote: why don't the council just publish 'easy to access' 'properly indexed' minuets of council meetings. I challenge anyone to navigate around the council website and find the minuets and scrutiny comments without wasting a day doing so.Here you go, less than thirty seconds after Googling 'Southend council minutes': http://apps.southend .gov.uk/minutes/
jayman
says...
12:10pm Fri 23 Nov 12
Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:i have been on this page many, many times. the layout is appalling, trying to find archived minuets is imposable and the comments from sub committees and scrutiny committees are not laid out correctly.
jayman wrote:Here you go, less than thirty seconds after Googling 'Southend council minutes':
why don't the council just publish 'easy to access' 'properly indexed' minuets of council meetings. I challenge anyone to navigate around the council website and find the minuets and scrutiny comments without wasting a day doing so.
http://apps.southend
.gov.uk/minutes/
The website is designed to make it difficult to find clear concise information (unless its the main page containing Tory friendly news)
i suggest the council get the website correctly designed before they waste thousands of pounds on yet another pet project.. every school in the UK teaches people to 'read' so let us 'read' what was said, word for word..
notinwestcliffanymore
says...
12:37pm Fri 23 Nov 12
jayman wrote:What you actually mean is you support the proposal and you would like to know what happens at meetings BUT because it is a tory porposal you cannot find in your heart to says yeah broadcast it for all to see.
why don't the council just publish 'easy to access' 'properly indexed' minuets of council meetings. I challenge anyone to navigate around the council website and find the minuets and scrutiny comments without wasting a day doing so.
jayman
says...
1:31pm Fri 23 Nov 12
notinwestcliffanymorthis is just a bad, overpriced proposal. I would support £82,000 going into schools , housing or community crime reduction. but £82,000 for a camera or two a microphone and a PC with internet connection is a bit laughable..
e wrote:
jayman wrote:What you actually mean is you support the proposal and you would like to know what happens at meetings BUT because it is a tory porposal you cannot find in your heart to says yeah broadcast it for all to see.
why don't the council just publish 'easy to access' 'properly indexed' minuets of council meetings. I challenge anyone to navigate around the council website and find the minuets and scrutiny comments without wasting a day doing so.
its a running theme with the council (yes a Tory council) as in, "its not our money, lets spend it"
jayman
says...
1:32pm Fri 23 Nov 12
notinwestcliffanymorthis is just a bad, overpriced proposal. I would support £82,000 going into schools , housing or community crime reduction. but £82,000 for a camera or two a microphone and a PC with internet connection is a bit laughable..
e wrote:
jayman wrote:What you actually mean is you support the proposal and you would like to know what happens at meetings BUT because it is a tory porposal you cannot find in your heart to says yeah broadcast it for all to see.
why don't the council just publish 'easy to access' 'properly indexed' minuets of council meetings. I challenge anyone to navigate around the council website and find the minuets and scrutiny comments without wasting a day doing so.
its a running theme with the council (yes a Tory council) as in, "its not our money, lets spend it"
Nebs
says...
2:37pm Fri 23 Nov 12
emcee
says...
3:27pm Fri 23 Nov 12
Anything that makes councillors know that we may be scrutinising their every move may provoke more efficiency within the council and will certainly force these councillors to actually perform the duties they were elected for.
rhowes
says...
5:02pm Fri 23 Nov 12
But then my favorite TV programme is PMQ's.
Eric Whim
says...
9:34am Sat 24 Nov 12
Olivia2847
says...
10:44am Sat 24 Nov 12
Nebs wrote:Exactly - an obscene waste of our money!
If the council was a business, they would have been wound up years ago.
Antonius
says...
2:29pm Sat 24 Nov 12
That would have been a cushy job for someone.
Maybe a friend or relation of one of the councillors ?
Lastlaugh...
says...
10:24pm Sun 25 Nov 12
Nebs wrote:The council is a business!
If the council was a business, they would have been wound up years ago.
black jack ketchum says...
10:00am Fri 23 Nov 12