Quite a novelty for Medway Council last night. In light of the ongoing situation, Medway Council conducted a socially distanced full council meeting last night, and live streamed the proceedings online. For years they said this wasn’t financially viable, yet here we are. If you had a better use for your Thursday night than watching three hours of a council getting used to new technology, we’ve got your back with the recap below:
This is novel. #MedwayCouncil pic.twitter.com/LalYGzqE7K
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
First time in a long time I’ve not attended full @medway_council . Logging in from home! pic.twitter.com/143N7qoxsR
— Tris Osborne (@cllrtrisosborne) April 23, 2020
Woah, there's actually someone controlling a camera. Admittedly said camera keeps looking at the ceiling, but still, how very exciting this new technology is. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Of course, this being a public meeting in 2020, we're starting with a prayer. Because we can never escape that. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Mayor @HabibTejan confirms that #MedwayCouncil meeting is being conducted with minimum number of councillors – 9 @MedwayTories and 5 from @MedwayLabour – to maintain balance. Then his mic dies so we can't hear him anymore. Good start.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Gulvin declares a pecuniary interest. Which we can't hear on the stream. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Mayor @HabibTejan announces that the meeting will be paused for clapping at 8pm. The meeting is now observing a minute's silence. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
No petitions submitted from members of the public. @CllrAndyStamp submits one from 1500 people asking Medway Norse to provide PPE to refuse collectors and to recognise Unite. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Public questions now. No members of public in attendance, which usually means questions would be answered as written reply. In current situation, councillors are responding now on the stream. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
These are the @MedwayTories taking part in tonight's #MedwayCouncil meeting. https://t.co/S6ZIHZW3RK
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Councillors from @MedwayLabour taking part at Cllrs Maple, Murray, Khan, Stamp, and we think Johnson.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Filmer now answering this question. Gets halfway through before he's told to switch his mic on, so he starts again. No immediate plans for electric buses in Medway, apparently. #MedwayCouncil pic.twitter.com/yTqQkz5JGP
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Action shot of the @MedwayTories benches at #MedwayCouncil. pic.twitter.com/4GwJFDG3So
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett now delivering his Leader's Report. He begins my praising the work of NHS staff and of #MedwayCouncil's social care staff. Says council is trying to operate as close to business as usual as possible.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett appreciates that some people have "abandoned Netflix to follow us here tonight". That joke was such a hit at Cabinet that he's chosen to repeat it here. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
https://t.co/zHpnY1R3fW pic.twitter.com/vFXdirfw2z
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett praises the work being down to improve children's social care services following the negative reports #MedwayCouncil previously received for it's services.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Here’s the action shot of the @MedwayLabour benches as Cllr @vincemaple begins his response. Also just spotted independent Cllr @SteveIles lurking in the background because why not. #MedwayCouncil pic.twitter.com/XXQ6vvGo8A
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr @vincemaple says his colleagues will be talking a lot about Medway Norse. The rumbling issues about PPE and union recognition for refuse workers isn't going away anytime soon. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr @naushabah_khan raises how #MedwayCouncil services may cope as things start to return to normal, particularly for those facing difficult housing circumstances.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr @CllrAndyStamp pushing hard on Medway Norse and union recognition, and asks Cllr Jarrett to make sure they all get round the table with each other as soon as possible. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
"It's St. George's Day today", proclaims Cllr Murray. #MedwayCouncil pic.twitter.com/V23o8knA4Q
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Gulvin celebrating how easy his job has been during this crisis. "The recovery plan proposed is going to be a pretty short one here in Medway." Err. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Goodness. I really don’t think this will age well given impact on local business and council finances. Recovery will take months especially if virus pathology sees a second surge in Autumn. https://t.co/syepfXLPrz
— Tris Osborne (@cllrtrisosborne) April 23, 2020
‘I haven’t heard of any problems with people loosing their jobs’ pic.twitter.com/pgFi6qmqpI
— Stuart Bourne #wewillmeetagain (@stueybourne) April 23, 2020
Cllr Gulvin says he has been chatting with refuse staff and has a "very different picture to the one being presented here this evening" and that staff are "quite happy with the arrangements". Hmm. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr @TurpinRupert: "My thoughts at the moment are with the businesses of Medway." Proceeds to compare having your business closed as being like "having a heart attack", which seems rather inappropriate given earlier announcements. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett says he doesn't want to comment on the issues between Medway Norse and the union. Instead takes aim at "inappropriate wildcat strikes". Punchy. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Buckwell now introducing the report on Overview & Scrutiny activity. O&S activity has been curtailed during the virus situation. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
#MedwayCouncil meeting now being paused for a clap.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Meeting now resuming. Cllr Wildey says something with his mic switched off, so no idea what. Cllr @vincemaple now speaking with no sound, so that's fun. He's gesturing a lot though. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr @vincemaple has now been interrupted by some kind of loud noise from the river. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Sound issues continue for Cllr @vincemaple. His sound goes all distorted like some kind of horror film villain and then cuts out altogether. Hope he hasn't picked now to make his really important point. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
All sound has now been lost from the meeting. Cllr Murray could literally be telling us all to go fuck ourselves right now, and we'd never know. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
The sound is back, just in time for the Mayor to cut Cllr Murray off. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
..and it's gone again as @CllrAndyStamp starts speaking. It was an amusing quirk at first. Now it's making this impossible to follow. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Johnson now speaking. We might just start inventing quotes if the sound doesn't come back soon. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
The sound still isn't working, so we can't hear how in the room there are gasps as Cllr Wildey declares that he always thought The Phantom Menace was the best Star Wars film. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Still no sound, so sadly we can't hear Cllr Buckwell declare that he really does think Carole Baskin had her ex-husband killed and he doesn't care if anyone disagrees with him. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Absolutely shocking scenes as Cllr Fearn declares that he really thinks Commander Riker should have been the one to get a new spin-off show, not Captain Picard. Scarcely believable anyone would say that. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Sound is still off, so we're now missing Cllr Filmer's rant about all of these KK Slider Animal Crossing artworks doing the rounds. "I just don't find them funny", he laments, "just what is the point?" #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
We apologise if Cllr Filmer is actually a big fan of KK Slider memes. We've got the sound back now – not really sure what happened.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Sound is still off, so we now aren't hearing Cllr Johnson's three minute argument on exactly why Automatic for the People is actually the best REM album. "Sure, I know it's mainstream, but Find the River is a banger", he concludes. He's not wrong. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
We appear to have rejoined during councillor questions. @CllrAndyStamp pushes again on Medway Norse. Cllr Filmer in response asks Cllr Stamp to show his appreciation to staff. Which isn't really the point but hey. Says safety of workers is of key importance. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Gulvin's job is so easy that he can send emails while taking part in a #MedwayCouncil meeting. https://t.co/6lPxLvZQeG
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
We're now moving onto a discussion of the Housing Infrastructure Fund bid. Part of the documents are restricted, so if councillors need to discuss them, the stream will be turned off. Cllr Jarrett says he won't do that and encourages others not to also. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett says the HIF bid was successful because #MedwayCouncil has a good track record of delivering large scale capital projects on time and on budget.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr @naushabah_khan says the @MedwayLabour group supports the bid, but raises questions about how deliverable the project will be in light of the current situation and what the consequences of not meeting the requirements would be. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
HIF concerns raised by @CllrAndyStamp, who questions how much control #MedwayCouncil have over Network Rail and the next franchisee to provide the new rail connection to Hoo. Still supports broad point of the bid though.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Voting system doesn't work well on the stream. Can't easily see who has their hands raised or not. Either way, report on HIF bid is agreed. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
We're now onto a discussion about replacing all #MedwayCouncil street lights with snazzy new LED ones. 90% are set to be replaced, with substantial energy savings. @CllrAndyStamp says he supports, but also that it's long overdue.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Oooh, @CllrAndyStamp laying down an amendment. Fascinated to see how this'll work for the live stream. Seems it involves Cllr Stamp reading it a couple of times. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Electric car charging points should be part of this upgrade, argues @CllrAndyStamp. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Filmer says "I'm sure @CllrAndyStamp means well.." before setting out why the amendment can't be accepted. Says #MedwayCouncil are currently assessing electric vehicle charging, and it's not economical to attach that to street lights.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Gulvin going full reply guy on @CllrAndyStamp's amendment. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
https://t.co/0iKL4fExTh pic.twitter.com/lSbv0fiyry
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett says @CllrAndyStamp's amendment isn't required and #MedwayCouncil doesn't need the further delay it would bring.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Responding, @CllrAndyStamp says he can't understand why his amendment can't be accommodated. Assume we're supposed to move to a vote on amendment, but Chief Exec interjects and says something with his mic off so who knows anymore. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
In a shocking twist, @CllrAndyStamp finds his amendment voted down. The main report on the street lighting is adopted. Some confusion over process arises, with Mayor @HabibTejan citing "unprecedented times". #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
We're now onto the really big report for the evening. Cllr @TurpinRupert introduces it, saying it took all of 4 minutes to discuss at committee. #MedwayCouncil pic.twitter.com/5ZEZwWnuqY
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
"I look forward to the first floating tattoo pleasure palace in Medway", declares Cllr Murray. #MedwayCouncil pic.twitter.com/DZ3wgO3LGw
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
https://t.co/aJB9j5762G pic.twitter.com/jCpYWed1zb
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Now discussing arrangements for the coming council year, including changes to #MedwayCouncil processes. This would involve abandoning the Annual Meeting, alongside seeing current Mayor/Deputy remaining in place. pic.twitter.com/yqjexCuryM
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett is going through his papers making weird noises which are Very Clear because he has left his mic on. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
ngl it's easier when the councillors aren't in the same room to turn round and give you a death stare. #MedwayCouncil https://t.co/A1MoDZilo7
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Arrangements for the year have been agreed, and we're now discussing a proposal to allow councillors to be absent from meetings in the current situation. This exemption will be reviewed in six months. Cllr Buckwell proposes advice is extended to parishes. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Proposal is agreed, so we've swiftly moved on to urgency decisions. These decisions allowed #MedwayCouncil to respond rapidly to the current coronavirus situation.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett says he will try and avoid using urgency powers going forward, but it may still be required all the time this situation is ongoing. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Final item of the night. This motion from Cllr @vincemaple. Shouldn't be controversial but stranger things have happened. #MedwayCouncil pic.twitter.com/8SQGnFCAgx
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett says he agrees with the first two paragraphs, but cannot agree with the third. Suggests "casual reader might think #MedwayCouncil has not been taking positive action". Bloody hell. pic.twitter.com/ZUhCKBqjcM
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett says he doesn't want a historian to read this motion and think @MedwayLabour had to move a motion because #MedwayCouncil wasn't taking all positive action. This is an absolute masterclass in pathetic pedantry.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
"There are occasions when words, even a single word matters.." proclaims Cllr Buckwell, launching his speech. The absolute state of this. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
The @MedwayTories will go to absolutely any length possible to not support a @MedwayLabour, with today hitting a new peak of amending a motion over a single word. Incredible scenes. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett hits back that "language is so important", and that he has no intention of withdrawing his amendment. Says it's been a positive meeting, and then dares @MedwayLabour to vote against his amended motion. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr Jarrett's amendment passes with @MedwayTories and Cllr @SteveIles supporting, @MedwayLabour opposing. Shambolic. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Cllr @vincemaple says they will vote for the amended motion, despite Cllr Jarrett playing semantics. @MedwayTories laugh in response. Not a great look. #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
With that, the motion is passed, Mayor @HabibTejan declares the meeting closed, and boy #MedwayCouncil waste no time turning the stream off.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Well done to officers and members of @medway_council for a great virtual Council meeting tonight. #COVID19
— Gloria Opara (@gloriaopara) April 23, 2020
Weird meeting, and an interesting experiment with the live stream. Few technical hiccups, and people really need to learn when to turn their mics on and off, but largely worked well and easy to follow. What did the rest of you watching along think? #MedwayCouncil
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Agree on all of that. Definitely parties on screen would be useful, as would vote counts. Assume it's technically possible to display amendments on screen, but not sure how easy it would be to implement, particularly currently.
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Big upshot of this streaming system – full video is now available via the link below. You know, if you need some light bedtime watching. https://t.co/MoxLaYTllm
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 23, 2020
Strange times – socially distanced council meeting pic.twitter.com/57qwme0CV6
— Naushabah Khan (@naushabah_khan) April 23, 2020
Great that I could flick through last night's @medway_council meeting, but better yet was reading the @MedwayPolitics digest – thanks to everyone involved in making democracy open. https://t.co/uvjPJhmTjF
— Paul Carter (@PaultheCarter) April 24, 2020
Thanks so much for the kind words on last night's #MedwayCouncil coverage. We don't want to be those people, but obviously things are a bit tight at the moment, so if you enjoyed our tweeting and fancy buying us a coffee, we certainly wouldn't say no! https://t.co/KN2KURXKvO
— The Political Medway (@MedwayPolitics) April 24, 2020