Can a clerk record a meeting

Question

I know about the changes introduced last year for the public to record meetings, but can the clerk record a meeting to help with minute taking?

Answer 1

Certainly, although I doubt it will help much with minute taking. We've just started doing it so as to have a record of all that was said in case of disputes, although we hope not to use it. The best way to write minutes is to draft them prior to the meeting, based on the agenda. Leave spaces for open ended items (although they usually cannot include decisions). For the most part, just record the decisions - the draft is easily marked up to show that things were or were not agreed. With that approach, it should be possible to complete and release minutes the next morning, in less time than it would take to review the recording. Minute taking is also easier.