Tory councillor attends Zoom virtual meeting while driving LORRY

A senior experienced councillor who joined a virtual council meeting while driving a lorry has been blasted for putting himself and other road users in a ‘dangerous situation’.

Councillor David Brown – who held the tourism, arts and culture brief on Boston Borough Council – appeared at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, September 9 from the cab of his moving vehicle.

His dangerous actions have been captured in a video which shows him driving while using a device to connect to the meeting and has sparked outrage.

Lincolnshire Police confirmed they are investigating the incident which took place earlier this week.  

He is seen looking at the screen and adjusting it on several occasions as he drives and at one point even takes his hand off the wheel to wave at the device to show his attendance when he discovers his microphone is muted.

He drove for at least 20 minutes before disappearing from sight – and then reappeared on the screen for the rest of the meeting after he seemingly parked up.

Now he has quit his senior job with the council and the matter is being investigated by Lincolnshire Police and the council.

Cllr Brown, from Sutterton, has today, September 11, issued this statement: ‘I have notified the leader of the council that I have resigned my portfolio responsibilities with immediate effect.

‘With hindsight, I shouldn’t have joined the meeting whilst driving and I will cooperate fully with any investigation.’

He remains a serving councillor representing Kirton & Frampton ward.   

The county’s top traffic official has criticised his actions.

John Siddle, from Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, said: ‘It is clearly an unsafe practice. He should not be conducting any long phone call let alone a video conference.

‘He is seen adjusting the device so he can be seen by the other councillors. 

‘If anything had happened in the split second he was distracted he would be wholly culpable, not forgetting that the rules around HGV drivers using phones have increased penalties because of the potential damage they can cause.

‘He should have been fully aware that he placed himself and other road users in a dangerous situation.’

Opposition councillor Peter Watson, who has been involved in driver training for 16 years, said: ‘Operating any additional device while driving creates driver distraction from safely operating the controls.

‘Doing this while driving an HGV can easily cause an accident which can lease to serious consequences and even the death of innocent people.

‘This does include hands-free devices. A driver has the lives of other drivers and passengers on the road in their hands.’