Two meetings have been added to Swindon Borough Council’s calendar for June.

The council’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday, June 9, then the standards committee – which agrees the code of conduct for councillors and investigates and rules on alleged breaches – will meet on Monday June 29.

All the council’s meetings since mid-March have been conducted virtually, with members and officers “attending” via computers in back bedrooms, dining rooms and studies.

Thursday evening saw the first meeting of the council’s planning committee since February.

It was later to start via the internet as a way had to be found of displaying plans and drawings to members and members of the public.

Along with the licensing committee and sub-panel, planning is one of the statutory committees of the council – fulfilling a legal, not a political role.

The other committees necessary for the work of the authority to continue are cabinet, scrutiny committee and the special committee of cross-party members set up to replace full councils for the duration of lockdown.