One local council is returning to face to face meetings in 2021.
Wollondilly Council has announced it will be welcoming residents back to meetings in the council chambers from next week, as Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings begin to ease.
However Camden and Campbelltown Councils will hold their first meetings of 2021 remotely next Tuesday night, February 9, making them available to anyone interested via live streaming.
It is believed Campbelltown will return to face to face meetings in March.
But from February 9, all Wollondilly community forums and council meetings will be open to members of the public in person, as well as via an online webcast.
“It’s our pleasure to throw open the doors and welcome residents to attend our meetings in person once again,” says Wollondilly mayor Robert Khan.
Public health restrictions mean the number of people who can attend meetings is currently limited to 14 in the gallery for the first week back, with social distancing measures in place.
Attendees will need to register before the meetings and will receive a ticket.
For most of 2020 council meetings were held via webcast only, with new technologies introduced to ensure they were accessible to anyone wishing to attend.
Mayor Khan has encouraged people to get involved with local government by booking a seat and participating in meetings during February.
“It is great that we had the technology available to run our council meetings online to keep everyone safe throughout 2020,” he said.
“We can now have the best of both worlds and will keep using Zoom webcasting so that anyone can still participate from home, but I’m really looking forward to seeing people back in the chambers, face to face again.”
People wanting to reserve a seat for the community forum to be held on February 9 should register via the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/community–forum–tickets139597701483.
Those who choose to watch online can use the Zoom link available on council’s Facebook page or website.
Future ordinary council meeting and community forum schedules are listed on the website, along with important information and links to zoom meetings and any other measures which are in place during the Covid-19 social distancing situation.
