Social Democrats call for Kilkenny council meetings to be livestreamed
Previously, there have been calls to livestream meetings, including by Green Party councillor Maria Dollard
The Carlow-Kilkenny branch of the Social Democrats have issued a statement calling on Carlow County Council and Kilkenny County Council to livestream of council meetings and publish the voting records of councillors.
The group said it believes this is an essential part of transparent democracy.
"With the technology now available to us, voters should be able to see how their elected councillors vote and how they contribute to meetings," it said. "It would be a transparent and simple way of showing people how local democracy works. We believe live streaming would be a key step in helping people understand what our councillors do."
Previously, there have been calls to livestream meetings, including by Green Party councillor Maria Dollard. However, under the current standing orders, filming/recording of meetings is prohibited. People can, however, watch from the public viewing gallery and can access the agendas and minutes of council meetings online.
"The councillors themselves might have to explain some of their behaviors and actions. But shouldn't the public know exactly who and what they are voting for in five years time? Wouldn't this step hold our elected officials, who represent us the people, to account," the group said.
The statement says it is not about money or whether it would be popular or have a large viewership:
"It is about being able to participate and observe how our cities, towns and counties are being run. We have a new council now that runs for five years. Surely they will be delighted to showcase their contributions. Afterall, during the recent election campaign we all heard from our councillors what a great job they are doing - so let's give the public access to see it."