A COUNCILLOR who is also a priest joined a meeting over a video link while driving to officiate at a funeral. 

Father Malcolm Lane, the Monmouthshire Council Conservative member for Mardy, was advised to pull over after logging in for the committee meeting discussing dental services. 

Cllr Malcolm Lane was told to stop driving while on a council zoom meeting
Cllr Malcolm Lane was advised to stop driving while on a council zoom meeting (MCC)

When the councillor, who also served as a magistrate for 27 years, spoke to introduce himself to the Monday, October 14, meeting he was asked by committee chairman, Labour councillor Armand Watts (Bulwark & Thornwell), if he was driving, as he could be seen behind the wheel with his phone camera looking up from the centre console.

Cllr Lane replied: “Yeah, I’m driving. I’m actually off to conduct a funeral but I’m listening intently.” 

Cllr Watts then consulted the committee clerk at the council chamber in Usk before saying: “Malcolm, my advice to you because I’m not sure where you are, obviously you’ve got important business this morning, would be to possibly pull over if you can. Just turn your camera off maybe.” 

When Cllr Lane confirmed he was driving Monmouth Labour member Steven Garratt could be seen, on the livestream, shaking his head and giving a thumbs-down. 

Cllr Lane, who took no further active part in the meeting, later said he had “accidently” left his phone camera on, connected to his car’s audio system.

He said he attended the pre-meeting, at 9.30am via video link from home, and added: “I was to officiate at a funeral at 11am at Langston Vale Crematorium and decided to listen to the rest of the meeting in the car after I left home... and I thought I would listen to the meeting through the audio system...

“I had accidentally omitted to turn the screen off. I just wished to leave the phone on to transmit through the audio system.

“My phone was laid flat on the middle console.. I was about halfway on my journey when I heard the chairman speak ask if I was driving, which was when I realised I had not turned the screen off. I pulled in when convenient to remedy this situation. 

“I had not taken my eyes off the road until I pulled in... and my vision of the road was not impaired.”