Webcasting opens up democracy in Edinburgh

It is hoped that the project will open up democracy in the capital by helping to create a better understanding among members of the public about how the Council works and makes decisions.

Viewers can either watch the meeting live or in the archive later. They can also see the reports and documents for each agenda item. Archived meetings will automatically be indexed by both agenda item and speaker to make it easier for viewers to choose items they are interested in.

Lord Provost, Donald Wilson, said: "The Council makes decisions which affect the lives of every single person in Edinburgh. We are committed to improving how we engage with Edinburgh residents and the pilot will be a great tool to help us to be more open and transparent.

"More and more people access news and information via the internet. Given that my background is in information technology I am very conscious of the need to take advantage of it and use it to engage with our communities and encourage them to take a greater interest in how the Council works."

Join in the debate on Twitter with #edinwebcast

Listen to the Lord Provost being interviewed on webcasting by STV Local.