At yesterday’s full council meeting Plymouth City Council forgot to let members of the public and press into the meeting.
It was the final full council meeting of 2025 and members of the public and press gathered outside the entrance to the public gallery on Princess Street from around 1.30pm.
As the clock moved towards the scheduled 2pm start time, there was still no sign of anyone opening up the doors to the dedicated entrance.
It was clear the meeting had begun inside the building yet the people who had come to witness it were left standing in the cold on the pavement outside.
Plymouth Plus challenged a council officer at the main entrance who was unaware that people were waiting at the Princess Street entrance as is normally the case.
The officer told us that they were 'not told anyone was coming' and admitted that they 'forgot' to check whether members of the public or press were outside.
Only after this were people directed away from the locked doors and told to go round to the main entrance where they were finally allowed into the building.
By the time they reached the public gallery the meeting was already under way and part of the business had been missed.
Despite Plymouth Plus witnessing the ordeal first hand and speaking directly to officers on the day, the council has denied this even happened.
A spokesperson for Plymouth City Council said:
"There have been no changes to the arrangements for the public and media accessing Council meetings.
"On meeting days, access to the gallery is via the Princess Street entrance. At yesterday’s meeting, early arrivals were escorted to the gallery from 1:45pm.
"As visitors need to be escorted through the building, anyone arriving later should report to security for access at the main entrance. If security is unavailable, please follow the instructions displayed on the signage."
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