Council slammed as 'tinpot dictatorship' after decision to remove archive

A town hall has come under fire from opposition councillors for its decision to remove its archive of broadcast public meetings which has been branded a ‘backwards step for trust’.

Oldham council had previously webcast major committee meetings, including cabinet, planning and full council live on YouTube, where they could be watched back at any time. However the authority now says that meetings will only be shown live in real-time, and will no longer be available to watch back after they have concluded.

It has also removed its archive of videos from the streaming platform, meaning at least three years of footage of scores of meetings has disappeared from public view. Liberal Democrat and Conservative opposition councillors have both separately written to Oldham’s chief executive, Harry Catherall, asking for the decision to be reversed.

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Royton North Conservative member Lewis Quigg described the actions of the town hall as being like a ‘tinpot dictatorship’.

However the council says it took the decision to remove past meetings because footage of them had been edited and ‘taken out of context’ and used to ‘unfairly target and illicit hate and harassment towards people’.

In his letter to the chief executive, Lib Dem group leader Coun Howard Sykes said: “I am deeply dismayed by this decision, which I feel represents a very unwelcome backwards step in terms of openness, accountability and trust; all at a time when we as councillors should be striving to demonstrate good practice across those three key pillars of local democracy.

“Oldham council has described its ambition to become a ‘listening council’ that brings residents closer to decision making. Ensuring that residents,