BOLTON Council has agreed tough new measures to help crack down on members of the public protesting at authority meetings.

Coming into action for February’s crucial full council meeting — when budget plans will be discussed — there will be a limit on the number of people who can sit in the public gallery and attendees will also be forced to provide identification on entering.

Residents who are unable to get into the meeting because of the new measures will be invited to watch a live stream of the meeting in a different location — yet to be confirmed.

Campaigners have labelled the measures 'disgusting' and a block on their democratic rights.

In a report outlining the new rules, the council has cited a raft of incidents over the past year in which monthly meetings of the full council have been disrupted by protest groups and trade unionists — with the Bolton against the Bedroom Tax group most-frequently mentioned.

These included instances in August and December when councillors were forced to change venues after protestors carried out demonstrations which involved chaining themselves to seats and sitting directly in front of the Mayor and Chief Executive with their mouths covered with masks. The police were called on both occasions.

Video of anti-bedroom tax protesters who forced Bolton Council meeting to a halt

Since June 2015, full council meetings have been held in Bolton Library’s large lecture theatre — with renovation work taking place in the town hall.

The authority believes this has 'exacerbated' the problem as members of the public can freely move to different parts of the room to cause disruption.

The new proposals — which will come into force for the February 24 meeting — will mean that only one section of the room will now be open to the public and will accommodate just 43 people.

Those unable to get in will be offered the chance to watch a live stream of the meeting in another venue.

The report suggests that the idea of a blanket ban on members of the public coming into the meeting had been discussed, but was seen as 'unreasonable.'

With regard to the requirement for attendees to show identification before entering, the report states: “This would help in ensuring that if necessary in the future the council wishes to exclude disruptive members of the public it is able to identify those who had disrupted meetings in the past, protecting those who wish to attend and observe without disrupting council business.”

The Bolton against the Bedroom Tax wants Bolton Council to adopt a strict ‘no evictions’ policy in relation to residents affected by the government’s controversial spare-room subsidy.

Reacting to the new rules, Linda Charnock of Bolton Against the Bedroom Tax said: “Well it is absolutely disgusting. We are talking about meetings in a public domain — it is our democratic right to attend.

“It is wrong that they can put a plan together to stop us protesting and it just shows that they are threatened by us.”

She added: “They can rest assured that this will not stop us, it is only going to make us more determined to get our point across.”