A North Tawton town councillor has asked the council to discuss whether it should continue livestreaming meetings, amid concerns that recordings are being edited and taken out of context.

At a council meeting on July 7, Cllr Sarah McKnight said the decision to livestream meetings was originally made to help residents follow council business. She was now concerned, however, about how some footage was now being used.

She said: “It was meant as a tool for people interested in council business, to understand debates had, questions asked, and how we come to them not as satire, comments or comedy, or pinpointing and highlighting individual councillors which it has been used recently…At the moment I feel, personally, it’s being slightly abused by being edited and things being moved out of context to suit individual journalists.”

Cllr McKnight suggested adding the topic to next month’s agenda as an “open question” to debate whether there is “still value” in streaming the meetings and whether the council is “reaching the audience [they] want to reach.”

Cllr Colin Lee agreed there should be a discussion.

The debate at the meeting comes as the town council sees itself reach a wider audience in a new format.

A new YouTube channel has begun producing satirical videos about North Tawton, featuring clips from council meetings.

It also features an Australian narrator who has been beamed down into the town to comment on local issues.

The vlog’s page says the videos are designed to be humorous while also raising issues within the town.

The council agreed to livestream its meetings back in July 2024, having previously voted against the proposal in September 2023. They are currently broadcast on its Facebook page for members of the public to watch if unable to attend a council meeting in person.

In its February 2025 Filming and Recording of Meetings Policy, the council stated that it is “committed to the principles of openness and transparency.”