COUNCIL meeting are set to resume next week - and members of the public will be able to watch the debates online.
Since coronavirus lockdown, NELC's scrutiny panel and committee meetings have been either postponed or cancelled.
But the authority has now fixed things so that - just like with the House of Commons - councillors will be able to contribute to discussions from the comfort of their own homes.
Today, the authority put out this statement: "New arrangements have been developed for formal meetings to re-start.
"Secure IT solutions have been put in place to allow for virtual public meetings to go ahead in several key areas so that the business of the council can continue.
"Initially, virtual meetings will be held for Cabinet, planning and licensing."
In a joint statement, the political group leaders Philip Jackson (Conservative, Leader of the Council), Matthew Patrick (Labour) and Ian Barfield (Liberal Democrat) say: "We have all had to learn how to work in new ways.
"As we start the road to recovery, it is important that we conduct the business of the council to make sure that key decisions are made openly and transparently.
“By holding these meetings virtually, it means that we, as elected members, will still be able to honour our duty to speak on behalf of our constituents.
Their statement continues: “It is also important, as with normal meetings, that the public can see the business being transacted, hence an arrangements to broadcast the meetings virtually."
The first meeting held this way will be a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Friday 1 May at 2.30pm when the chief executive is due to provide an update on the authority's response to the Covid-19 situation.
For press and public, a link to the meeting will be published with the agenda papers on the council’s website.
Guidance will be provided in due course via this link: https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/meetings/cabinet-virtual-meeting/
In other developments, following the cancellation of this year’s local elections and by agreement of the leaders of the political groups, all appointments to committee positions and outside bodies made at last year’s council AGM will be held over to May 2021, including the position of mayor and deputy mayor.
It has been agreed in principle by the political group leaders that Cllr David Hasthorpe (Con) will succeed to the mayoralty in May next year.
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