Legislation Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 came into force on 4 April. These Regulations enable parish and town councils (defined as ‘local authorities’) to hold remote meetings, including by video and telephone conferencing, for a specified period until May next year.
In addition, there is a provision in the new Regulations, that parish and town councils will publish their meeting agenda and any accompanying papers on the website of the principal authority in their area. The relevant provision in the Regulations is: Regulation 13(s.1)(4)(a) of the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960, which has been amended so that public notice of the time and place of the meeting is deemed to be given if published on the relevant principal authority’s website.