At the Biggleswade Town Council meeting on Tuesday 22nd February 2011, the standing orders were updated from banning mobile phones to banning other electronic devices or the like, I cannot remember the exact wording.
Eric Pickles department has contacted councils to ask that they adopt a "modern-day approach". It follows reports that some bloggers were stopped from using Twitter or filming during public meetings. Mr Pickles said it was important local bloggers were given the same access as professional journalists at a time when budget decisions are being made.
He said: "Fifty years ago, Margaret Thatcher changed the law to make councils open their meetings to the press and public. This principle of openness needs to be updated for the 21st Century. More and more local news comes from bloggers or citizen journalists telling us what is happening at their local council. "Many councils are internet-savvy and stream meetings online, but some don't seem to have caught up with the times and are refusing to let bloggers or hyper-local news sites in."
He added: "Opening the door to new media costs nothing and will help improve public scrutiny."
The move was backed by Mr Taggart, who founded the website OpenlyLocal.com, who said "hyperlocal" bloggers were doing some of the best council reporting in the country and it was "crazy" for councils to stop people "videoing, tweeting and live-blogging their meetings".
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