A councillor from Peasedown St John will make history on 8th January by becoming the first politician in Bath and North East Somerset to hold an advice surgery through the use of Skype.
Cllr Nathan Hartley (Lib Dem) has represented the village for almost six years, and will join just a handful of councillors and MPs from across the country who have used the video conferencing system to communicate with constituents.
Nathan said; “As so many more people fill disillusioned and let down by politicians, those of us in public office have a duty to try even harder to make ourselves available to those we serve.
“Skype is a fantastic way of keeping in touch, and through the use of a PC, laptop, iPad or mobile phone, it will allow my residents to have another opportunity to communicate with me.”
The software was created in Estonia in 2003, and by 2011 it had more than 600 million users when it was sold to Microsoft for $8.5 billion. Users of Skype can communicate with each other for free through the use of a microphone and webcam. Most modern technological devices are created with these in-built.
Cllr Hartley, who was re-elected to B&NES Council for a second term in 2011 with the largest majority in the whole authority, is looking forward to the possibilities that Skype Surgeries will bring. He added; “Due to the busy nature of people’s lives, they may be unable to get along to one of my monthly advice surgeries on a Saturday, or aren’t home when I knock on their door during the day. Thanks to Skype, residents will still have a chance to have a face-to-face conversation with me.”
Cllr Nathan Hartley’s Skype Surgery will take place between 6pm-7pm on Tuesday 8th January, and is for Peasedown, Carlingcott and Braysdown residents only.
His Skype address is nathan.hartley44. Residents are advised to email him in advance to arrange a time to call: [email protected]
For more details about what the Liberal Democrats are doing in Peasedown St John visit www.peasedownlibdems.org.uk
