Angus councillors have given a new £45,000 hybrid system for meetings in their historic Forfar chamber its first test.
This week the full council returned to Town and County Hall for the first time since the pandemic struck.
And – barring a minor connection blip for one elected member – it was a successful debut for the new set-up.
There had been fears the 235-year-old town centre building might become obsolete because of challenges in accommodating council meetings.
Empty since lockdown
Its doors were shut when lockdown came in.
Angus then became one of the first councils in Scotland to make its meetings available to the public online.
But that did not go entirely without a hitch after so-called Zoom-bombers hijacked an early Covid emergency meeting.
Police were called in after pornographic images and obscene messages were posted on screen.
The council then had to spend money repairing a sagging roof in the chamber during the pandemic shutdown.
Options for the future
Last year, officials put a six-figure price tag on re-working the debating chamber to host council meetings once more.
The £105,000 estimate was one of three options presented to councillors.
Those were:
- Continue with fully remote meetings and no council chamber.
- Return to Town and County Hall. Costed at £105k.
- New chamber in Angus House council HQ at Orchardbank. Costed at £123k.
It was also suggested council meetings could move around the county but that was ruled out as impractical.
Many councillors said they were keen to get back to Town and County Hall and pushed officials to bring the cost down.
And in November, elected members approved a scaled back version with new IT equipment and slimline furniture.
The chamber layout has been changed to place Provost Brian Boyd facing fellow councillors rather than sitting at the head of the long debating table.
Video screens have been erected for those who will be attending meetings remotely.
It has meant the removal of two large portraits from the ornate interior of the hall, including one of Letham village founder Dempster.
Town and County Hall was designed by celebrated Scottish architect James Playfair.
Born at Benvie, near Dundee, he was responsible for many impressive buildings in Edinburgh’s New Town.
The building was completed in 1788 at a cost of £1,100 and features crystal chandeliers presented by David Scott of Dunninald who was MP for Forfarshire at the end of the 1700s.
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