The City of Edinburgh Council could re-instate all of its Committee meetings to pre-Covid levels in just a few weeks' time.
When elected members meet on Thursday (6 August) they will discuss plans for immediately restoring meetings of the Council's Finance and Resources Committee, followed by all other Executive Committee meetings from 1 September.
Committee business was paused in Edinburgh at the height of lockdown but has gradually seen the return of a number of online Councillor meetings, including fortnightly Policy and Sustainability Committees, monthly Full Council meetings, and the return of the Governance Risk and Best Value and Development Management Sub Committees. The Planning Committee is also due to meet for the first time since lockdown in August, when it will discuss a report on comments made on Choices for City Plan 2030.
It is proposed that these meetings and all those brought back remain virtual until at least November.
Council Leader Adam McVey said:
Even at the height of lockdown and during what would be recess, we've continued to meet regularly, making sure that Councillors can take urgent decisions and provide leadership, oversight and scrutiny required for the City. Whether it’s tackling poverty, driving down carbon emissions or taking action to improve the wellbeing of our residents there is still a lot of work needing done.
We are still in a public health emergency. As we reinstate more Committees we need to stay agile, which is why we're looking at keeping our meetings online. We can take the decisions we need to take as we push forward with Edinburgh's recovery from this crisis – while continuing to operate in a way to protect public health.
Depute Leader Cammy Day said:
Our plan has always been to restore our full programme of Council meetings as soon as possible so it's welcome to see this report brought forward.
During lockdown we've tried to strike a good balance between proper elected member oversight and the pressures facing Council officers. We've embraced digital decision-making more than we ever have and I'm looking forward to seeing us build on that.