MEMBERS of the public will be barred from asking questions at online meetings of Barnard Castle Town Council if elected members cannot see them.
However, councillors will be able to take part even if they are unable to use the video function on their IT kit.
An extraordinary meeting of the town council was called last week to discuss a new policy governing how virtual meetings are conducted.
The council has chosen to use the Zoom platform until it is deemed safe to resume meetings at its Woodleigh headquarters, on Scar Top.
The policy for governing online meetings was drawn up after hackers took control of a town council meeting in January, posting obscenities, racist remarks and links to adult websites and a Nazi flag.
Town clerk Martin Clark said since then, security on the council’s Zoom account had been beefed up.
He said online meetings would be held until at least the local elections in early May, but the likelihood was they would continue for some time afterwards.
Outlining arrangements for online meetings, he said everyone other than councillors would be audio muted.
During the 15 minutes set aside for questions, members of the public would be required to enable their video and only then would their microphone be unmuted.
“Should any member of the public who wishes to address the council refuse to enable video when requested they will remain muted and unable to ask a question,” said Mr Clark.
“Should a councillor have technical difficulties enabling their video they can request to attend the meeting with audio only.”
Members were told voting would be done by a show of hands or “thumbs up”.
Cllr Laura Drew queried why members of the public were expected to enable their video.
Mr Clark said if the meeting was held in person in the council’s normal meeting room, members would be able to see who was asking the question.
Allowing members of the public to leave their video function off would be like someone asking a question “with a paper bag over their head” in the council meeting room, he added.
However, Mr Clark said the chairman of the meeting could show some flexibility.
Councillors were told normal standards of behaviour were expected in online meetings and if members of the press or public were deemed to have overstepped the mark they would be removed from the Zoom call.
