Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government Luke Hall MP, has written to local authorities following the the judgment from High Court that the Local Government Act 1972 does not allow local authorities to hold meetings virtually.

The letter states:

"...While the court’s judgment was limited to the interpretation of provisions relating to
meetings within the scope of the Local Government Act 1972 – and therefore I would
encourage all authorities to study the court’s judgment for themselves to understand
how it applies to their circumstances – after 6 May this means that councils will need
to return to face-to-face meetings and you should continue to prepare accordingly..."

The letter concludes by saying:

"...I am grateful for the efforts that local authorities have made to allow remote meetings
in their area and recognise that there has been a considerable investment of time,
training and technology to enable these meetings to take place. I would therefore
encourage you to participate in our Call for Evidence on the use of remote meetings
before it closes on 17 June, so that we can better evidence our next steps in this area..."

Read the letter