A PREGNANT councillor’s call for politicians to be able to participate in meetings remotely has been backed at the Guildhall.

Jessie Jagger is worried when her first child arrives she will face difficulties attending council meetings in person.

The Liberal Democrat said the flexibility of being able to attend and vote online would also help councillors facing health problems as well as those with young children.

A motion by Cllr Jagger for the issue to be raised in Parliament by Worcester MP Tom Collins was backed unanimously by city councillors on Tuesday (September 17).

DEBATE: Councillors in the Guildhall on TuesdayDEBATE: Councillors in the Guildhall on Tuesday (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)

In order to allow remote participation in meetings, as was done temporarily during covid, the Local Government Act 1972 would need to be amended.

Cllr Jagger said officers and fellow councillors have been supportive and said she could bring her baby into meetings.

But she said: “As thrilled as I am about bringing a baby into this chamber, as someone who has never been a parent I have no clue how hard it will be.

“And I would much prefer sometimes having the option of joining remotely so I can mute if I need to.

“But despite support in this council and in Parliament, this council is banned from allowing remote meetings by a piece of legislation that is older than Google.

READ MORE: Should councillors be allowed to attend meetings over Zoom?

“This unnecessarily restricts access to those who have health issues, caregiving responsibilities and other barriers to physical attendance.”

Green councillor Katie Collier said: “Local politics needs to represent and reflect the experiences of communities that it serves, and too often women - particularly those with children - are overlooked.

“Evidence shows that women policy makers prioritise issues that benefit the most vulnerable in society, and those voices must be heard.”

Conservative councillor Alan Amos warned that remote meetings lack the “cut and thrust” of those in the council chamber and Labour’s Jabba Riaz said it would raise the question of whether people could vote from home.

Fellow Labour councillor Ed Kimberley said when it comes to disabled people and those with mobility issues, “there has always been an unspoken assumption that it just isn’t for them, because they wouldn’t be able to get here, they wouldn’t be able to participate and I think that’s wrong.

“We’re all the poorer for the absence of disabled voices in the council chamber and in all chambers of power and I welcome this motion. It would be a huge win for disability rights.”