Claims of 'muting' councillors and Soviet Union national anthem playing

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Claims of 'muting' councillors and Soviet Union national anthem playing

Postby dutchman » Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:01 pm

The Town Hall meeting recording has caused a huge political storm


Claims of 'muting' councillors have been made during a Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council meeting - in which the Soviet Union national anthem was played.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council's most recent full council meeting -which was held virtually due to Covid-19 restrrictions - has caused a huge political storm.

Clips of the YouTube recording of the meeting on Wednesday, September 16 have appeared on Twitter and Facebook forums amid claims of political mischief-making.

This includes accusations that councillors, including the Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, were being 'muted' while they tried to talk.

There were also allegations that debate was being stifled and, at one point, the Soviet Union anthem could be heard playing.

Councillor Kyle Evans was also banned by the Mayor from speaking amid the height of the lack of democracy argument.

The council uses Microsoft Team software to allow people to be able to speak during the online meeting - but there have been claims that the system was abused.

It is not the first time that accusations have been made that councillors have been 'muted' from speaking.

While the Labour group members say they were victims on Wednesday night, the opposing Conservatives have made similar claims during another online full council meeting.

Coventry Live asked the borough council if any investigations were underway into the 'muting' allegations.

We also asked about the decision to ban a councillor from speaking.

In a statement, Simone Hines, executive director, resources at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council said: “The council’s constitution allows the Mayor to take steps, after a vote of all councillors present, to prevent members who interrupt progress of the meeting from speaking any further. Action taken in the meeting was in line with the Constitution.

“We are still learning the best way to use available technology to get the best results in these public meetings, but we remain committed to enabling local people to see their elected representatives discuss matters of importance to residents.

"There were a number of issues with the use and set up of the technology in the early part of the meeting.

"After a brief pause we were able to make some amendments and re-started the agenda with fewer issues.”

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Re: Claims of 'muting' councillors and Soviet Union national anthem playing

Postby dutchman » Thu Oct 15, 2020 3:38 pm

Council spends more than £1,000 on legal advice to ban councillor from talking at meeting

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has confirmed it spent more than £1,000 on legal costs including advice about banning a councillor from speaking at a meeting.

The Town Hall has said that it spent £1,105 on seeking legal advice on a number of issues raised as a result of a now notorious full council meeting.

At the controversial meeting on September 16, which included the Soviet Union anthem being played, a decision was taken not to allow councillor Kyle Evans to speak at the next full council meeting.

The council then sought legal advice on ensuring that, constitutionally, the Bedworth representative could be banned from speaking at the reconvened full council meeting on October 5.

He was then banned from taking part in any debates.

In a statement, Brent Davis, executive director, said: "Legal advice was sought on a number of issues related to the conduct of Full Council meetings.

"These issues included seeking clarification that Cllr Evans not being heard at the reconvened Full Council meeting held on 5 October was in accordance with the borough council’s Constitution.”

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Re: Claims of 'muting' councillors and Soviet Union national anthem playing

Postby dutchman » Thu Apr 22, 2021 5:52 pm

Bizarre ending to council meeting amid another claim of a councillor being 'muted'

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A Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council meeting came to a bizarre and abrupt end after yet another stormy online meeting.

The full council meeting, which was held online and streamed on the council's page on YouTube, was immediately halted last night (April 21) due to a technicality over the length of the meeting.

Under the council's constitution, if council meetings are to run over the three-hour mark, then 'standing orders' have to be lifted.

As the meeting started at 6pm, just before it reached 9pm, a call was made to extend the 'standing orders'.

The ensuing row meant that the vote continued past 9pm but Mayor councillor June Tandy said she was happy for it to continue - despite protests that it was constitutionally illegal by some Tories.

But then Philip Richardson, the council's director of arts, leisure and democracy, was heard saying that according to the constitution, the meeting has already finished.

"The vote is not valid," the Mayor went on.

"The meeting automatically adjourned at 9pm - so the meeting is now adjourned."

She then ordered the live stream to be stopped, but not before arguments broke out.

The bizarre ending to what would have been the last full council before the local elections on May 6 was dogged with controversy.

Cllr Hayden Walmsley erupted after he claimed he had been 'muted' while speaking about the council's timetable of meetings.

"I have been muted by another councillor - that is not acceptable," he raged.

He called for the council's scrutiny panel to look into what happened.

It is not the first time that allegations of 'muting' on online meetings have been made.

The Mayor said: "You have made a very serious allegation that a member muted you

"You may recall several Labour members were muted when they tried to speak, you have just made a serious accusation, I would expect you to name the member you are accusing."

Cllr Walmsley called for his allegation to be debated at a scrutiny meeting and a debate ensued.

Labour members said that he should lodge a complaint with the recording officer and a scrutiny meeting was not needed.

A vote on whether it should be examined at a scrutiny meeting took place, and it was lost.

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