Public involvement with committees

The Council’s Constitution gives members of the press and public the right to record, broadcast, or photograph the proceeding of its Council and Committee meetings. This right has been provided to ensure the Council’s decision-making process is as open and transparent as possible. The fair and accurate reporting of the Council’s decisions and deliberations benefits Lincoln’s residents and businesses, as well as the Council itself.

Please note that in the event of a significant disturbance being caused to the meeting by any recording, the person chairing the meeting, is entitled to prevent further disruption to the meeting, including by limiting the right to record. This power is not provided in order to limit the recording of the meeting but to ensure the business of the meeting can be carried out effectively and to protect the rights of other attendees.

For guidance purposes, the following situations could cause significant disruption to a meeting:

• The use of equipment which causes significant obstruction to other people attending the meeting, including members of the public.
• The use of flash photography or camera lighting.
• The use of equipment which causes a significant amount of noise.
• Recording in such a way that members of the public are made the principal subjects of the recording, rather than the meeting itself.

If you wish to receive any guidance on your rights to record a meeting or to discuss recording in a way which could cause a disruption to the meeting, please contact Democratic Services using the contact details to the right of this page before the date of the meeting.