CITY councillors have welcomed an announcement that remote participation in council meetings will soon be possible.

The UK's Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced that councillors across England will soon be allowed to attend meetings remotely during last week's annual Local Government Association conference.

Worcester city councillor Jessie Jagger, who is seven months pregnant, has campaigned for remote attendance at council meetings.

Cllr Jagger said: "I am thrilled to see this issue finally gaining momentum.

"I’ve been working closely with councillors across the political spectrum and directly lobbying members of the House of Lords to keep this issue front and centre.

"To see such a quick response from the government is encouraging, and I believe we are finally on the path to making local government more accessible and inclusive for all."

During a Worcester City Council meeting in September, Cllr Jagger raised a motion for the issue to be raised in Parliament by Worcester's MP, Tom Collins.

The motion was backed unanimously by councillors.

Leader of Worcester City Council, Lynn Denham, said: "It's absolutely good to see we have a government who is listening to local councils and councillors.

"A change in the legislation would allow greater flexibility for people with caring responsibility and disabilities, and make being part of your local council more accessible.

"Perhaps the one concern around remote participation is the risk of people abusing it, for example, by going on holiday because they can do meetings remotely.

"But being a councillor does mean being part of your local community.

"I think it shows a good step forward overall."

In her statement, Cllr Jagger praised the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper.

Cllr Jagger said: "Daisy has been incredibly supportive of this campaign from the start, and I’m so pleased that we’ve had such a fast response from the government.

"This is a significant step forward for making local government more flexible and accessible for everyone, especially those with caregiving responsibilities or health concerns."

A consultation has since been opened by the UK government on the "practical implications of remote and hybrid attendance and proxy voting at local authority meetings."