IN an effort to reach out to residents of the town, Okehampton Town Council is considering webcasting its meetings.

The council committees meet at the council chamber on most Monday nights to discuss issues affecting people of the town.

The proceedings are open to the public, with an opportunity given for those in attendance to comment on issues at the beginning of each meeting.

However, the majority of meetings are poorly attended by the public, and the council is looking at ways to boost interest in the meetings and the issues it discusses.

One such method being considered is the potential to webcast the proceedings online, so that people can watch the council meetings in the comfort of their own homes.

The idea was presented to the council by Cllr Kay Bickley at the latest policy meeting.

She said: 'We do encourage people to come along to our meetings, and occasionally they do, usually if a particular issue is affecting them.

'I feel we are disconnected with the youngsters and majority of people in the town. We could put the idea to media students at the college and see what interest there is in it.

'On a wet or a cold night like many we have had recently, people may not want to walk down to the town hall, but if the meeting was available to them online, they might be more inclined to take an interest.'

Other councillors supported the need to boost interest in the town council among younger people, but several had objections, including the potential cost of any scheme.

Cllr Tony Leech said: 'In a time when money is so tight for everyone, including ourselves as a council, I don't think we should be looking into it at this moment in time.'

The council decided to investigate the potential cost and logistical issues of the scheme, and will discuss it again at the next policy committee meeting.