Council’s emergency board meetings will be held through Skype link-up

The only Renfrewshire Council board in operation is not currently holding meetings in public due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Meetings of the emergencies board - which are being held every Friday - are now taking place on Skype.

But the public and press were unable to observe last week’s meeting and the council’s website did not inform residents it would be taking place remotely.

The board is operating in place of the council and can decide on major policy matters following the cancellation of all other board meetings until at least Wednesday, June 24.

A council spokesman said: “We are actively exploring ways in which the emergencies board meetings can be made publicly available.”

There have been two meetings of the board so far where council chief executive Sandra Black has supplied a weekly update on arrangements in relation to Covid-19.

Anyone wishing to find out about the current situation can view the papers prepared for each meeting on the council’s website while it is not being held in public.

Last Friday it was revealed a total of 646 employees were self-isolating either because they have symptoms, they have other people in their household with symptoms, or because they have recently returned from a category 1 country.

A total of 319 of these are from children’s services, 155 are from environment and infrastructure, and the rest are from departments including finance, health and social care and communities, housing and planning.