Covid shows how we can make politics accessible to all with online meetings

Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) often talks about how to increase diversity in local and national government. We talk about barriers that prevent more women, BAME, disabled and working class candidates from getting more involved in politics. One barrier can be Labour Party meetings themselves. Meetings can take place at inconvenient times, in inaccessible or inconvenient locations and with formats that can be confusing and off-putting.

It has been interesting to observe that since some meetings have moved online, attendance and participation has dramatically increased. In the last week, two or three times as many people as usual attended our Local Government Association Labour group meeting – meaning we could hear from a broader and more diverse range of voices. I chaired a national policy forum (NPF) policy commission meeting that had four or five times as many people attending as compared to our London based meetings – which also tend to take place mid-week in the middle of the day.

I was also surprised to see our borough’s new online planning committee meeting being attended by over 70 people. It is great that more members of the public are able to input into discussions that will shape their communities. It is refreshing and important that meetings have suddenly become more accessible.

In recent years, Labour groups across the county have been championing parental leave policies. When I had a baby a few years ago, I was so grateful for the support of our group and our maternity leave policy. It was a shame, though, that during that period I was not able to fully participate in meetings and discussions as I spent months at home – feeling a bit isolated – feeding a baby for hours on end. No one should lose their political voice when they have a child and if I’d been able to attend meetings remotely it would have transformed the experience.

Labour’s democracy review included a recommendation for group meetings to offer provisions for councillors to attend remotely to ensure that everyone is able to participate. This would support people taking parental leave, as well as those with caring responsibilities or shift workers.

For a long time we’ve talked about using technology to make meetings more accessible. In the last few months we’ve all become adept at video calling and online meetings. The NEC will shortly be giving local parties guidance on how branch and Constituency Labour Party meetings can restart online. Arrangements are in place for online selection meetings if necessary. It is really important that when the pandemic is over, which may not be for some time, we keep provisions for online meeting attendance and make local democracy more accessible to everyone.