Whittlesea City Council has announced that its March meeting will be held online, inviting members of the public to view a livestream of proceedings.
The meeting will be the first since Mayor Aidan McLindon was issued with a ban on attending council premises by CEO Craig Lloyd, and a no-confidence motion from the remaining councillors, who have called on him to resign.
It’s understood Cr McLindon plans to make a statement outside the Council chamber with legal representation present, and there is speculation that he intends to call on Mr Lloyd to resign, and the two government appointed monitors Jude Munro and Peita Duncan to also stand down from their positions.
A call to action is circulating on social media, encouraging members of the public to form an outdoor public gallery outside the chamber.
Meanwhile, the councillor group has made a statement on social media in support of measures to prioritise safety.
It says that “any decisions made by this group fully comply with relevant laws and regulations and reflect governance best practice.”
The decision to hold the Whittlesea meeting online without a public gallery follows a similar move from Casey, which will hold its meeting online tonight, and by Greater Dandenong last week.