COUNCILLORS have been all a twitter thrashing out new rules saying when they can and cannot use social media in meetings.

Worcester’s city councillors were debating the thorny issue of whether councillors should be allowed to use micro-blogging sites like twitter during council business.

Their debate will help shape an updated council constitution, which is currently being refreshed and which should be ready for adoption by July.

The issue of using twitter, facebook and other social media divides councillors, with proposals put forward to ban it altogether for all meetings, make its use a matter for each individual council meeting chairman, or to allow it at some meetings but not at others.

In July last year, Councillor Jabba Riaz got a telling off for making comments on twitter during a council meeting.

Coun Adrian Gregson, the Labour group leader, wanted to propose a ban – a position which gave him unlikely bedfellows across the floor in the Conservative party.

“If this council is committed to openess, well then why not just spend money on a webcast,” he said.

Other councils including Worcestershire County Council broadcast some meetings live over the internet in this way, but they also allow tweeting during meetings, within reason.

“The last time we debated this issue, we concluded that we couldn’t come to any conclusion,” said Coun Gregson.

“If councillors cannot commit to a two-hour meeting without playing around with a little media device then I am not sure why they are doing this job.”

Coun Gareth Jones, a Conservative, said he didn’t support anyone tweeting in any council meeting, but Coun Marc Bayliss noted MPs were allowed to tweet from the House of Commons and said: “If it is good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.”

He likened the debate on banning social media to Mike Grundy’s regular archives feature in the Berrows Journal about the quirky and often laughable actions of the great and good in times gone by – adding that social media was here to stay.

Coun Paul Denham said if councillors wanted to use social media it should be up to each chairman.

However Coun Roger Knight said there was common ground in banning it from use in cases of quasi-judicial matters like licensing and planning meetings.

“I propose it goes back to the working party on the constitution on that basis, and to draw up a policy for the constitution,” he said.

A majority of councillors agreed the proposal.