VIDEOS by City of York Council have been viewed almost 1,800 times in six months, new figures have shown.

The council began broadcasting videos of its meetings earlier this year, to enable people to view debates without having to leave their homes.

From June 5 to December 11, the council’s videos were viewed 1,788 times, with total viewing of 5,987 minutes.

Separate videos cover each agenda item discussion at meetings. Viewing figures range from 6 to 213.

Council leader James Alexander said the overall figures were higher than expected. He said he first called for meetings to be broadcast online in 2009 but met opposition, and the idea was initially voted down by council.

He said: “Today all council and cabinet meetings are webcast live and uploaded to YouTube soon after. All committee meetings have audio recordings uploaded to our website. This is the biggest step City of York Council has taken to improve transparency and accountability. People should have the right to know what their elected representatives are saying and voting on their behalf.”