COUNCILLORS want Cheshire East to 'boost democracy' by broadcasting meetings using an internet webcam.

Airing full council meetings online has been proposed by Councillor Dorothy Flude, leader of CEC's Labour group, and is now being investigated to see if it would provide 'value for money' - and whether there is any public demand.

Coun Flude said: "It would bring the decision making process closer to the people because there are controversial issues getting debated. These things should be automatically happening.

"If you live in Nantwich and the council is meeting in Macclesfield it is very difficult to attend.

"It cannot be 'too expensive'. Democracy is the first thing people in Cheshire East should be expecting."

She said neighbouring Tameside and Leek and Moorlands councils were already doing it.

Coun Darryl Beckford, who writes a daily blog of CEC news, said : "I have had a couple of calls from people interested in helping to set it up. All we would need is a webcam and laptop.

"In an ideal world you would be able to choose a particular clip or item but just getting it up there would be a start.

"This way people could sit down with a glass of wine and home and that might encourage them to find out about their own councillor's view on things.

"People lack interest about council meetings because they cannot turn up and you might have to sit through three hours worth which a lot of people don't want to do."

A CEC spokesman said it was something Crewe Borough Council had tried in the past but that the technology could be very expensive because Cheshire East meetings were held at a variety of venues.

"It has been referred to the corporate scrutiny committee to find out how much it would cost," she added. "We also need to find out how much interest there is from the public."

Since April full council meetings have taken place at Macclesfield Town Hall, Tatton Park, Crewe Municipal Buildings and Nantwich Civic Hall.

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