Help for councils on ‘how to work remotely’

The Local Government Association has published a wealth of information on their website, designed to support Local Authorities function remotely during the period of Lockdown.

The Government has temporarily removed the legal requirement for local authorities to hold public meetings in person during the coronavirus pandemic so that decisions can still be made to support the running of the councils.

The LGA has brought all of the information together on the changes to the regulations, to support both Local Authorities and Town and Parish Councils. You can find out more on these regulations here.

Types of technology?

Councils can find support and information on how to host meetings remotely by following this link where you can find examples of how other authorities have used technology.

We also know from listening to our parish and town councils in rural areas that some are struggling with knowing where to go for support and what types of technology to use. The LGA has published a list of different technology that is available with pros and cons of each to help organisations consider what is appropriate for their use. It should be noted that inclusion in this list doesn’t mean that the LGA endorses their use, but is highlighting different options available.
Access this information here

Community Groups or Parish Councils may be creating Facebook Pages to engage with their rural communities at this time, Facebook has a range of guidance available to support you with this process, click this link to go direct to this Facebook help page.

What are we doing at the RSN?

We’ve tried a few different approaches at the RSN to enable our team to work effectively when we are all remote from each other.  We have found that using Microsoft Teams, works well for instant messaging and chat amongst a few members of staff, and we’ve been using Zoom for our weekly team get togethers.

We have been fortunate to be supported by Cosmic, a company that helps organisations get the most out of technology and there are a number of blogs available on their website which you may find useful.

Our advice would be to try different approaches to find what works best for you and your organisation, we are all learning at the same time!