County council must lead the way on working at home, say Labour

Dragging councillors and officers to an inadequate central meeting place is wasteful, unsafe sends the wrong message, says Northumberland Labour leader

Northumberland Labour says the council should be leading by example on working from home, with the leaders, cabinet, councillors and officers showing the way.

Scott Dickinson said: “While County Hall is empty and having millions spent on it, 67 county councillors and 20 council officers are travelling to an inadequate venue at (where?) only to be squashed into an entirely unsuitable space.

“The council should be leading the way with working at home. We proved during lockdown we can run meetings effectively and get the council business done. We’ve made a number of crucial decisions and had a number of very important debates which were not in the least hampered by having the meeting on line.

“With the recommendation to work at home where possible we should be taking the lead. It would also save the council money in expenses and save councillors and officers time as well as cutting down on the council’s carbon footprint.

“We are asked to take lateral flow tests but, as we all know, they are in short supply.

“The Covid situation is unlikely to change soon, particularly with the rise in Omicron cases. In my view it’s pure madness to continue meeting face to face until we see a significant reduction in cases.

“With a bit of thought and planning on the council’s part we could aslo be saving money, time and decreasing carbon emissions.”