At the time, Ms Weaver joined calls to keep virtual meetings as an option, saying scrapping them would be a “dreadful idea”.
Under the proposed new rules, councillors will also be allowed to vote on behalf of others who can’t attend debates, such as for childcare or health reasons.
Rayner told local government chiefs it would be up to them to “decide whether councillors should attend your meetings remotely or use proxy votes when they need to”.
Speaking at the Local Government Association’s (LGA) annual conference in Harrogate, the deputy prime minister said she would “[make] it possible for people from all walks of life to have a stake in local democracy, whether they have caring responsibilities or aren’t able to make it to the town hall in person because of illness or disability”.
The government has published a public consultation on the proposals.
Last year an LGA survey of around a third of English councils found nine in 10 had councillors who would make use of virtual meetings if allowed.
It comes as Whitehall civil servants were told they should be spending at least three days a week working in the office.
Councillors will no longer have to make their home addresses public, Rayner also confirmed.
The LGA had previously pushed for ending the legal obligation to publish addresses amid a rise in abuse and intimidation faced by local councillors.
