From the Mayorwatch blog:
The right of social media users and bloggers in England to film and report meetings of their local councils is confirmed in a new guide published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Ministers have intervened after reports that some councils had blocked the filming and reporting of meetings, citing both health and safety and data protection laws.
Available online, the document makes clear that councillors and council officers can be filmed during meetings and that there is no prohibition on such activity under the Data Protection Act or health and safety legislation.