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Keep webcasting, authorities urged after year-long trial
MEMBERS of the police and fire authorities in South Yorkshire have to decide whether to continue to broadcast their meetings on the internet following a year-long trial.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and the county's local government pensions authority are also involved in the scheme, which costs 18,000-a-year to operate.
They are being recommended to approve plans to extend the scheme, which involves broadcasting each of the authority's meetings live and then making recordings available in a public archive, for another year.
The scheme has been regarded as a success, with more than 3,700 individual viewings in the last seven months.
That means the business of the authorities has been opened up to many more people than normal, because although they are open to the public they rarely have an audience.
However, there have been some concerns from staff at the Joint Secretariat in Barnsley, which supports all four bodies, and members of the organisations.
A report states: "There have been comments by members and officers that webcasting inhibits debate."
But those concerns aredismissed because the meetings have always been operated on a public basis, regardless of whether anyone has been present to witness events.
The report also states: "Webcasting is providing the single biggest opportunity since the formation of the authority to engage the public with decisions made in their name."
The authorities will make a joint decision later about the future of the scheme.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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