Discord over Moray Council's new £70k audio-visual system

Elgin Community Council is not returning to its regular meeting place because it's not allowed to use Moray Council’s new £70,000 hybrid IT system.

Between 2002 and the start of the pandemic the group used to meet one evening every month within the local authority’s debating chamber on Elgin High Street.

However, the chamber's poor acoustics makes holding meetings there impractical unless the microphones are turned on.

And now the group's members have been informed that they're not allowed to use the new audio system which has been recently installed.

Moray Council says that, as the new system needs to be observed when running, it is unable to "resource" its use by the group.

Alastair Kennedy, the community council's chairman, said: "The council chambers is the easiest place to run a meeting especially if there’s a lot of people.

"It is disappointing that we’re not able to return because the community council has been using the chamber since 2002.

"We were able to use the old system before. Maybe we’re too stupid to use this one."

The hybrid system was installed earlier this year to allow people to attend meetings in person or virtually.

The new model replaces the old sound system, which had been in use for more than 15 years but was incompatible with holding hybrid meetings.

Councillors agreed its £70,000 cost would come from the Covid recovery money granted to the local authority by the Scottish Government.

As well as meetings, the chamber is also used for training purposes.

A spokeswoman for Moray Council said: "The system requires to be set up and monitored during its use and the council cannot resource this."

Since the lifting of Covid restrictions Elgin Community Council has been holding its meetings in the lounge room of Elgin Town Hall.

However, unlike the chamber, the community council has to pay its use.

A meeting of the Joint Community Councils of Moray scheduled for next month in the chamber, has now been moved online.

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