Laois councillors reject livestreaming yet again
Laois County Council headquarters in Portlaoise. File image
ANOTHER bid to have council meetings livestreamed was rejected at the latest meeting of Laois Co Council.
Independent councillor Aisling Moran again put forward a motion calling for livestreaming, saying that Laois should join the growing ranks of local authorities nationwide that have introduced livestreaming and recording for all public meetings.
Cllr Moran said that livestreaming would be beneficial not just for constituents, council staff and members of the media but for councillors themselves, holding them more accountable for their actions, whilst allowing their constituents to understand greater the work they do on their behalf.
She said: “We live in an era where technology is everywhere. Most people, including our constituents, are reliant on technology for many parts of everyday life. In an age when AI is making it immensely difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, it is necessary for Laois Co Council to provide a livestream of the chamber and at least record the meetings and put them online.”
Cllr Moran, who represents the Graiguecullen-Portarlington municipal district, said the idea was not some new sort of phenomenon but one that numerous councils throughout Ireland, 16 in all, had already implemented.
In making the case to her fellow councillors at the council meeting on 27 April, Cllr Moran became somewhat exasperated with the fact that she had already repeatedly and unsuccessfully brought this proposal to the chamber.
She questioned what her fellow councillors were afraid of and said: "This is not something to be feared. We are public representatives. Politicians and our other political counterparts all have their public meetings livestreamed … so again I ask that all of you support my motion.”
The motion was supported by councillors that included Independents James Kelly and Tommy Mulligan, each of whom advocated for the benefits the move would have on public engagement and their own accountability. However, when it came to the actual vote, those in favour lost by four votes to nine, with a majority in the main parties of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voting against.
Of the nine councillors who voted against the proposal, none cited a reason. A bullish Cllr Moran greeted the latest defeat with amusement, quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger’s infamous riposte: “I’ll be back!”
