Nottingham City Council has approved a £435,000 investment to introduce live-streaming of council meetings, in a move officials say will strengthen transparency and public accountability.
The decision will see the authority refresh its audio-visual equipment across meeting rooms and contract a specialist provider to deliver live webcasting.
The Council’s Improvement Plan highlights “improving governance” as a core priority. A key part of this is ensuring citizens can see how decisions are made — not just by attending meetings in person, but by accessing them online.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, temporary regulations allowed councils to hold meetings remotely, which Nottingham streamed live on YouTube. Officials noted that online viewership often “significantly exceeded” in-person attendance, with many residents welcoming the flexibility of being able to watch live or later on-demand.
Since those emergency rules lapsed, meetings have returned to in-person only, with councillors required to physically attend to be counted as present. However, the Government’s recent consultation on remote attendance and proxy voting suggests that more modern, hybrid approaches may be on the horizon.
The new webcasting system will not only make meetings accessible online but also prepare the council for future flexibility in attendance and voting methods.
The £435,000 budget combines both capital and revenue spending. The majority will come from capital receipts, subject to approval by the Council’s Capital Officer Group. Procurement officers have stressed the importance of “whole life costing,” ensuring that installation, maintenance, depreciation, and eventual replacement are factored in from the outset.
The Council House, one of the key sites earmarked for new equipment, is a listed building. Heritage officers will be consulted to secure permissions for installation and to ensure compliance with conservation requirements.
The decision has been reviewed by commissioners and supported across departments:
