Upgrade Facilitates Blended Approach to Council Meetings
The upgrades feature state of the art conference, audio-visual and blended meeting technology, with microphone panels for the Mayor of the County of Cork, Elected Members of Council and Council Officials as well as support for induction hearing loops and electronic voting buttons.
The audio-visual upgrade will enable meeting participants to share high definition content with attendees within the Council Chamber together with remote attendees. Further enhancing the remote and blended meetings, a camera system will automatically select and reflect a speaker, improving accessibility for remote attendees.
Welcoming the completion of the upgrade, Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey stated
“The enhancements to our Council Chamber serve the timely function of facilitating social distancing requirements, adherence with public health guidelines and future means of operation without friction to our role in leading the development of Cork County. Such innovative means of operation are reflective of our approach in leading by example in terms of service delivery. Moreover, the enhancements to the Council chamber will open new doors for engagement between the Council and guests, both local and global, ensuring local democracy is always accessible.”
Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr. Gillian Coughlan said
“Speaking as a representative of the people of Cork County, and on behalf of my fellow Councillors who represent the interests of their communities countywide, I am delighted to see the completion of these upgrade works. Our chamber and our meetings are now even more accessible and more inclusive. This new suite will streamline the sharing of information in the Council Chamber and marks a significant step forward for local politics in Cork County.”
The upgraded chamber will host its first meeting on Monday 12th of July with 20 attendees onsite and other attendees joining remotely.