Kilkenny council considers options for monthly meetings, with business to do

Kilkenny County Council is considering a number of possibilities as to how it will conduct monthly meeting business next month given the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.

No statutory decisions were due to be made at the April monthly meeting, so it was decided the meeting would not take place. However, Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council Peter 'Chap' Cleere says that in May, there will be statutory matters arising, and that meeting will have to proceed in some capacity.

The council had looked at the possibility of holding the meetings via telecall, but the legal advice is that the meetings must take place in a physical location. Decisions made in a non-physical meeting may be open to challenge.

It's understood there are several options being considered. These include having a meeting with the full council membership in a large venue in which social distancing could be observed, or - as with what happened for the March meeting - a pared-down meeting in County Hall with the minimum number of members required for a quorum (seven).

Municipal District meetings are proceeding via telecall, but as with full council meetings, decisions cannot be made and their purpose is informational.