Councillors to become reality stars

The local authority will broadcast its first live webcast today (Thursday) at 1.30pm when a meeting of the full council takes place.

Councillor Archie Graham, a Langside representative, welcomed the arrangements and urged people to tune in.

He told The Extra: “This new webcasting service is another example of our commitment to improving accessibility.

“It opens up the council’s decision-making process to the public.

“It offers Glasgow’s citizens the opportunity to see what goes on during council meetings at their own leisure and without having to come all the way in to the city centre.

“What’s more, the meetings will be available for viewing online for six months after the live broadcast.”

Cameras have been installed in the city centre council chamber to allow the public to see and hear the debates and discussions as they take place.

The city’s 79 elected members attend full council meetings, which are held every six weeks.

Approval for council meeting webcasts was agreed by the executive committee in January.

However, for the moment, it seems East Renfrewshire residents will not enjoy the same transparency as their counterparts in Glasgow.

A spokeswoman for ERC said: “We are aware that a number of other councils have moved this forward although we have no plans to do the same at present.”