Live broadcasts would whet appetite of Tipperary people for local elections, says politician

The monthly meetings and workshops of Clonmel Borough District should be broadcast live in 2024 to give the public a fuller understanding of procedure, in an open and transparent way.

That was the proposal made by Cllr Niall Dennehy at the Borough District’s December meeting.

He said that the local elections would be held next June and it was only reasonable that people got a feel for what was going on in the council chamber at the Town Hall.

He said it wasn’t an impossibility to organise live broadcasts, because the Zoom facilities and WiFi were already in place.

The proposal was supported by Cllr Pat English, who said there were other councils around the country where you could go online and see what was happening.

District Mayor Richie Molloy said that Borough District meetings played a vital role in local democracy and he was sure the technology was there to facilitate live broadcasts of the meetings.

However, a written reply to Cllr Dennehy’s request from District Administrator Carol Creighton stated that there is no provision allowed for the live streaming of meetings in 2024, and it isn’t included in the current Borough District Standing Orders.

She said the council would also have to consider a number of issues in terms of defamation/litigation issues, hacking/editing of content, IT issues during meetings that were live streamed, and ensuring a quality stream and accessibility features.

She said that all of this would require additional staffing resources and additional budgets.

Ms Creighton said the Borough District meetings are currently managed in an open and transparent manner, with the notice of meetings and agenda published online in advance of meetings.

The public and press could attend meetings in person or remotely, while the press reports on the meetings.

She added that the matter had been previously considered by the Plenary Council and referred to the Privilege and Procedure Committee for consideration, and it was deferred owing to the cost and staffing implications involved.