HISTORY was made when Staindrop Parish Council was forced to move its meeting for the first time in living memory to the village’s only remaining pub.
Councillors were forced to move their March meeting to the Wheatsheaf Inn after their usual venue, the Scarth Memorial Hall, was closed due to fears over coronavirus. The village’s Masonic Hall is also closed. During the meeting parish clerk Judith Mashiter said using the pub was a last resort.
She added: “There is a law that you must not hold it in premises that are licenced to sell alcohol during the time of the meeting, unless there is no other room available free of charge or for a reasonable cost.”
While a councillor had offered up their kitchen table as a venue, Mrs Mashiter said it had to be declined because of accessibility, particularly for the disabled.
Ms Mashiter said: “The pub is more geared up for the public than a private residence anyway.”
An idea to hold a short meeting on the village green at an earlier time before sunset was also rejected because of laws. Mrs Mashiter said: “It can’t be before 6pm. I tell you the rules about parish council meetings. But they will change – there will be changes made.” Laws also currently forbid the use of technology such as communications applications such as Skype and Whatsapp to hold “virtual meetings”.
Ms Mashiter said: “It is down to that democratic accountability – even though the public aren’t here, they have the right that any decision you make must be in an open and public meeting. Maybe technology will advance so we could stream this meeting so people can join in, but we are not there yet.”
The meeting was held in the pub’s pool room, well away from the bar, with some of the councillors only enjoying a pint after the meeting was concluded. The pub, like all others across the county has now shut.
Parish chairman Cllr David Reed said the council had never, in the 25 years that he had been a member, held a meeting in a pub.
The council decided to move its annual parish meeting to the latest date possible, Thursday, May 28, in the hope that restrictions relating to the corona pandemic might be lifted.
“Three councillors with underlying health conditions had sent apologies for not attending the meeting because they were self-isolating.
