Luton councillors use Skype to hold meetings during coronavirus lockdown

As restrictions keep staff, councillors, residents and business people confined to working from home, the local authority is having to consider alternatives to keep everything on the move.

So a development control committee meeting last night (Weds 25th) involved three councillors social distancing in a room at the town hall, with other councillors, planning officers and the solicitor linked up via Skype.

The planning applications were all approved, as planning officers had recommended, while nobody registered to object to any of the schemes.

But the local authority accepts it is not an ideal situation and is working hard to see what alternatives are available, if the current crisis drags on.

Large scale developments, such as Luton Town Football Club’s Power Court project, have been debated by councillors live online when the council screened the committee’s proceedings via Facebook.

Councillors can still debate the plans in front of them, as they have electronic access to agenda papers.

The main item was the Luton and Dunstable University Foundation NHS Trust’s proposals for the partial redevelopment of the hospital site.

The scheme includes an acute services block, ward block and a revamp of the Lewsey Road car park to a multi-storey, after the demolition of some of the hospital buildings.

Money was allocated for the redevelopment of the Luton and Dunstable site, separate to its merger plans with Bedford Hospital.

There are some casualties on the committee schedule, including this week’s planned full council meeting which had to be cancelled.

And a rescheduled scrutiny children’s services review group meeting was also postponed, with only one item on the agenda.

Officers from the public health team were unable to present a report on the council’s healthy weight strategy at the regular meeting three weeks ago.

The local authority’s democratic services team were due to hold a conference call to work out what improvements can be made in the short-term.

The next key public meeting is the executive committee on Monday, April 6.