Host of virtual meetings

Question

Our town council has until now been using a free platform to hold our virtual meetings. The clerk sends out the agendas as usual but I have been setting up the virtual meetings and sending out the invites. I am the Mayor/Chair.  We are now about to change to a paid version which will give the 'host' full control of the meetings. The clerk has told me today that she should be one of the hosts. After thinking about this, I am not sure that she should be. She cannot chair a meeting, which is basically what the 'host' does. Not being the host may mean that she cannot send out the virtual meeting invites, although I have not yet checked this, but she has been more than happy for me to do it up till now as she is not, by her own admission, very technical.

I know virtual council meetings are all very new so there is probably nothing set in stone about this, but to me it does not seem appropriate that the clerk should be a host.  I would appreciate any thoughts on this.

Answer 1

It works very well for clerk to be host in my council because it frees the chair up to concentrate on managing the meeting rather than keeping an eye on the waiting room and dealing with the comings and goings of the public.  However, there is the provision for both chair and clerk to be co-hosts if that would suit.

Answer 2

 A 'host' is the name given to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for example that provides server space for a web site. It can also mean the person who sets up a zoom meeting and sends out invites to the attendees, and configures the number of participants and features.

In light of the above, I think the CLerk should define exactly what "Hosting" and "Full Control" of the meetings amounts to?

Comments

Than you for your reply. I am well aware a host can be an ISP but I am querying virtual meetings. Please see my reply above to Quornpc

Answer 3

As a Clerk, I host our parish council Zoom meetings - I set up the meeting time and send out the meeting link.  I can also control the waiting room facility, also with the other security features that the program has.  It made sense for me to be the host as I attend all the council and committee meetings and therefore it has only cost one licence for the council.  If your council want to pay for 2 licences, then you can do but to me, it is an added and unnecessary expense.

Comments

At our council the Clerk holds the council Zoom License but we have one Cllr assigned as 'technical director' and made a co-host to manage the technical parts of the meeting, muting, waiting room etc, leaving the Clerk and Chairman to do their own jobs during the council meeting itself. In my view this works really well.

---

I think jaan has interpreted "hosting" as somebody who runs the meeting rather than someone who in the IT sense organises and facilitates the technology to enable it to take place as you do  The comment from carolinenelson is therefore a bit surprising as the Chair has a statutory duty to chair meetings of the Council.  What "Job" does the chair do?.

---

Maybe I was not very clear, but the Chairman does indeed chair the meeting, but having a 'technical' Cllr just seems to make the meeting run a lot smoother in my opinion. The chairmans duties have not been delegated at all.