Virtual meetings are likely to continue as the “default” position for Aberdeenshire Council until at least the end of April.
Councillors will next week discuss the changes made to the running of the local authority since the start of the pandemic.
On March 18 2020, just days before Boris Johnson told the whole UK that everyone must stay at home and millions were placed into the first lockdown, Aberdeenshire Council agreed emergency measures to ensure important decisions could be made quickly.
Certain powers were passed to unelected officers amid fears that crucial changes could be delayed if too many councillors fell ill and were unable to take part in the usual process.
This was seen as particularly significant on matters relating to Covid-19, given the ever-evolving nature of the situation.
The move was also then made to allow for completely virtual committee meetings – which have continued and are now the status quo.
And in the nine months since the pandemic first threw the nation into chaos, the council has managed to keep committee business going at relatively normal levels over the internet.
At the meeting on Thursday, councillors will be asked to keep the changes in place well into the spring.
They have been recommended to agree that virtual meetings should “continue as the default position” until a review on April 29.
In a report for councillors, it was revealed that the powers bestowed upon officers “have been used on 10 occasions” since March last year.
Six of those instances were due to the pandemic, and related to business grants, burial charges, taxi licensing, Skype capacity and funding for emergency childcare.
It comes despite new council leader Andy Kille last month revealing plans to restore power to elected members.
The Conservative councillor for Fraserburgh said it was time for councillors to resume “our full democratic role”.
He added: “These democratic processes are the bedrock of our society and their outcomes need to be respected and supported.
“In any democracy, participation is the key, and my intention is to ensure that elected members play their full part.
“So I shall be looking to bring a paper to full council soon, rescinding elements of the paper of March of this year – in which we granted extra delegations to officers – although the peaks and troughs may continue for some time to come, it is time that we resumed our full democratic role on behalf of our communities.”
