Covid-19 laws for hybrid NI council meetings to lapse

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said there is "no justification" for extending the regulations

Coronavirus laws allowing councils in Northern Ireland to hold remote or hybrid meetings are set to lapse after Wednesday.

Councils have been asked to prepare to hold only in-person meetings while new regulations are considered under different legislation.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has been urged to extend the regulations in the interim.

But his department said he believed there was "no justification" for this.

In a letter to councils seen by BBC News NI, the Department for Communities said the Coronavirus Act 2020 "was intended as emergency legislation".

It said Mr Lyons, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), had "concluded that there is no justification for the continued extension of provisions" under the Covid legislation and they will "cease to have effect" after Wednesday.

"Councils should therefore make arrangements to ensure they are positioned to hold meetings in person after 6 March 2024," it added.

New regulations

The department said the Local Government (Meetings and Performance) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 provided a power for the department to make regulations on holding council meetings remotely.

"The minister has asked that the department proceed on regulations under the 2021 Act instead," it added.

It is unclear how long it may take for new regulations to come into effect.

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Accessibility issues

Sinn Féin assembly member Maolíosa McHugh said the minister should not allow current regulations for hybrid meetings to lapse without having an alternative in place.

"Hybrid meetings within councils across the north have made participation in council meetings more accessible, particularly for those with caring responsibilities or mobility issues," he said.

Alliance Party assembly member Sian Mulholland has tabled a Stormont assembly question on the issue.

She said the lapsing of the regulations could act as a "barrier" to some councillors fully participating in local government.

On the recent letter notifying councils, she added: "This did not provide councillors, especially those with childcare and caring responsibilities, enough time to make arrangements for their March meetings."

A spokesperson for the Department for Communities told BBC News NI that the minister "has asked officials to bring forward regulations as soon as possible to enable remote or hybrid district council meetings using the powers in the Local Government (Meetings and Performance) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021".

"This is considered to be more appropriate than continuing to use emergency powers under the Coronavirus Act 2020," the spokesperson said.