Gwynedd Council will continue to hold virtual meetings for the foreseeable future, despite neighbouring Conwy’s proposal to bring in a hybrid model.

Conwy Council recently launched a debate on partially returning to its council chamber to hold meetings as part of the gradual reopening of local democracy.

With officers there revealing plans to set up “hybrid” meetings, such as those currently seen in the UK Parliament, it would allow at least some members to attend in person while socially distancing, while others would continue to contribute online from their own homes.

But with strong feelings there on both sides of the debate, Gwynedd Councils said its current arrangements are scheduled to continue for the time being at least.

Since March the local authority has held all such meetings on platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, while continuing to allow press and media access to committees and public broadcasting where that was previously the case.

But while the relatively bare calendar initially included only vital decision-making committees such as the Cabinet/executive, planning and audit, the council is ramping up its schedule from September to include scrutiny committees and even full council, which may pose a challenge due to its 75 members.

A Gwynedd Council spokesman said: “Our priority as a council remains keeping the people of Gwynedd safe.

“As part of our efforts to control the spread of the disease, we follow the Welsh Government’s guidelines with staff and councillors working from home whenever that is practically possible.

“Whilst we are reviewing the situation on a regular basis, our focus continues to be on ensuring that key council meetings are held online for the time being.”