PEOPLE could soon be able to watch from home as local politicians debate and decide on the big issues affecting the district.

Key meetings at Bradford Council could soon be filmed and broadcast live via the internet, under plans to be debated next week.

Around 70 local authorities across the UK, including Kirklees, webcast their key meetings for anyone to follow live or watch back later.

Bradford Council had looked into webcasting its meetings back in 2012, but the idea was ruled out because the costs were then too prohibitive.

Now the technology has become cheaper and council bosses have found a company who could fit the technology and run the service for around £25,000 a year.

Council meetings are open to the public unless confidential issues are being discussed, but attendance levels vary. Council officers say this could be one way of boosting public participation in the political process.

On Tuesday, the full council will consider a proposal to begin a year-long trial of the webcasting system in the council chamber and the biggest committee room.

Councillor David Green, the leader of the Labour-run council, said: "We have always supported trying to webcast.

"We have been working on it with companies that have done it for other local authorities in the past and we are hopeful that we are able to put something into practice in the very near future."

The announcement was welcomed by the leader of the Conservative opposition, Councillor Simon Cooke.

He said: "We supported it as a means of trying to get more people involved with local democracy so actually, unless it is prohibitively expensive, I think it is a direction we should be going in, in terms of improving access and also accountability."

But Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, said the council's spending priorities should lie elsewhere.

She said: "Yet again, it's one of those 'nice to haves'.

"It's a nice thing to have but when you are facing having your social care cut, it's of no comfort that you can watch councillors debating with each other on the world-wide web.

"It's not a question of whether it's too much, it just sits alongside all these other things like painting gold on City Hall, or brand new road signs, which are costing the council lots.

"It's nice to have, but some people can't get any help to get out of bed in the morning."