SCOTLAND'S largest local authority is to broadcast its council meetings.
From April, the six-weekly full council meetings will go out live on Glasgow City Council's website in a scheme costing £18,000-a-year.
But the broadcasts will not include meetings of the authority's executive committee, where the key decisions are taken every fortnight.
Edinburgh, Highland and Moray councils already broadcast some meetings, with Renfrewshire piloting a scheme later this year.
'Market leader' Public-I has been appointed to provide the webcasting service for the council, with an existing track record at other authorities including Edinburgh and Birmingham. The service includes live transmission of the full council meetings, plus the archiving and bookmarking of meetings.
The cameras, located with consideration to the heritage of the City Chambers, are linked to the existing microphone system so the cameras automatically pan to the speaker when their mic is switched on.
It was a Labour manifesto commitment to webcast the meetings in the wake of a knife-edge budget meeting in 2012, which almost toppled the party.
Cllr Archie Graham, the council's deputy leader, said: "The council is committed to making its decision making process as transparent as possible. This move demonstrates our determination to make the inner workings of the council open and let everyone see how we debate and reach decisions."
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