Cork City Council meetings to livestream with greater clarity under new upgrade of system
CorkmanCork City Council is introducing a new system to improve the viewer experience of its live-streamed council meetings, including adding more cameras and showing on-screen information.
The monthly council meeting in City Hall will now be live-streamed on a new platform using several cameras offering different views of the council chamber and of individual speakers. The system will also feature on-screen information showing the names of speakers and the agenda items being discussed.
Until now the meetings were livestreamed on the council’s YouTube channel using a single camera view. That stream will now cease and move instead to https://corkcity.public-i.tv.
The city council said the upgrades are designed to make council proceedings more accessible and user-friendly, allowing residents and other interested parties to follow debates and decisions that affect their communities in real-time.
It said it also recognises that digital accessibility is key to fostering inclusive civic participation, especially for those who may not be able to attend meetings in person due to mobility, scheduling or geographic constraints.
City Councillor Peter Horgan welcomed the news, telling the Irish Independent that “bringing openness and transparency to the council floor is an important part of showing the people of Cork what their local representatives are saying on vital debates. I hope it becomes something that people will use as a reference point for their local representatives."
The new system will be introduced in phases over the coming months, beginning at the Monday November 10 meeting of the city council at 5 pm. Cork City Council began live-streaming its monthly meetings in 2020 in response to covid-19 restrictions.