Bristol council goes live

The first event to be broadcast live was last week's full council meeting and there are already plans to broadcast a wider range of meetings in the future, including some Select Committee and Planning meetings.

Last week's successful broadcast has so far been viewed by more than 300 people. This figure is expected to increase as more people find out about the new facility.

Viewers can choose to view a meeting live as it happens or watch a recording. A key benefit of this is the ability to watch certain parts of a meeting, which is particularly useful for people who are interested in a specific agenda item or speaker.

Councillor John Bees, executive member for Support Services, said: “Bristol City council has always been at the forefront of using new technology to engage local people and this new webcasting facility will complement those other activities, directly linking online consultations and petitions to meetings where those issues are being discussed.

“The idea behind the new webcasting facility is to involve more people in council meetings while improving public understanding of how the council works. It should also involve more people in the council decision making process.

To view the webcasts log on to www.bristol.gov.uk/webcast