Tauranga City Council staff are working on a new-look for the city chambers that will make it more user friendly for the public.

Instead of being seated with their back to the public, councillors will be turned around to face the audience and go eye to eye with the gallery during council business.

Tauranga City Council chambers will be re-vamped to improve user-friendliness.

Staff are also looking to update the chamber's systems, including a wi-fi microphone and sound system and new speaker positions so the public can more easily hear what is going on.

During the workshop councillors also expressed a wish for an investigation into electronic queuing for speakers. Electronic queuing will provide a visual sign on the councillor's desk indicating who is next to speak, as opposed to councillors waving their arms at the chairman for attention.

Included in the spruce up is a tweaking of the air conditioning system, a repaint to make the upper floor less gloomy, and re-modelling of the catering trollies.

Councillor Murray Guy's request for a coffee machine in the councillors' lounge did not get support. The councillors' lounge will get a new computer and a larger desk.

It's been 10 years since the chambers was last done up.

'We are not doing anything that doesn't need to be done.” Says council democracy services manager, Yvonne Tatton.

The changes are being made so that council meetings are more available to the public.

'The public don't feel that they are involved in the meetings the way the room is set up.”

The staff will be trialling mock-ups of different layouts in the coming weeks. The current furniture and carpet will be retained.