Question

Can a member of the public film/record a Parish Meeting (not Council) and what are the rules?

Answer 1

Simple answer is yes they are allowed to film/ record a public meeting. The only proviso is that in doing so they do not disrupt the meeting in any way. In doing so the chair would be acting within their rights to request the person leaves the meeting or stops recording. What constitutes such disruption is of course where any contention would occur.

Comments

Your reply appears to apply to a Parish Council meeting.

Answer 2

It depends where the meeting of the Parish is held.  Some places such as schools restrict or prevent the taking of videos or images of activities taking place on their premises.  By default filming should otherwise be allowed.

Comments

Graeme if that is the case then surely the council should seriously consider changing venue as they must uphold their legal obligation to allow recording by the public at the meeting and this must take precedent over the venue rules?
Original Question was edited to Parish. The council organise and chair the Parish meeting and as a public meeting there is no reason why it should not be recorded.

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Hello Mentorman, it is possible for a council to decide not to hold a Parish meeting and in such cases, members of the public could legally organise one.  If that happened, they would have to find a venue, and such a venue may impose restrictions.  It is possible also to hold more than one per year.

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Hi of course we now need to define whether we are specifying the annual parish meeting or one called by the requirements of the electorate. If it is the annual one then the PC must meet the legal requirements and must hold it within certain time limits. I would argue that if it is called by public demand then it is still required that the pc must meet the obligations of a correctly constituted public meeting. We must never forget (as some councils do) that they are there to serve the electorate not rule them.

Answer 3

Recording of a public meeting is allowed but signage or an statement should be forthcoming mainly to cover vulnerable individuals. You will note Zoom now makes a statement when you log on.
Once individuals know that there is a recording in progress, they then have a freedom to choose whether they speak or not. No member of the public should be part of a video without their knowledge. Minors need to have the permission of parents and guardian (if you have a youth group talking or being represented).