Are your Zoom meetings ever like this? Parish Council meeting descends into chaos

[chomalungma]

There is some awful behaviour on here.

It breaks down badly at 4 minutes.

@JackieWeaverkicksarse

It’s scary to think that these misogynist twats might have any input locally, minor as that may be.

Also I want to show off my new user name.

Lets just remember that Aled Brewerton, the ranty solicitor, was born in 1976 according to publicly available information at Companies House, so he is in his mid forties - so not all of this appalling behaviour can be explained away as the preserve of more seasoned retired people with nothing better to do.

The actual clerk was removed at a previous meeting and has now been reinstated. The minutes are no longer available on HPC's website.

@Roussette

ancientgran great story! Hope your NDNs were suitably mortified.

I love it here, it's just pretty and lovely walks during lockdown etc. However.... I do not get involved in any petty village politcs and keep myself to myself, very much so. There are some lovely kind people here too.

Strangely my husband is less bothered by the antagonism than I am. I'd even move back to the inner city slum where I grew up rather than stay here but as DH is disabled and can't face a move I am stuck.

My neighbours don't have the awareness to be mortified but I'd love to have seen their faces when they opened that letter.

They reported by DILs car to the police as abandoned probably stolen as she parked too far from the kerb and it didn't have a local registration number. He came out one day to complain I made too much noise putting rubbish in the bin. I throw it in now and make sure I bang the lid a couple of times for good measure. I did resist the temptation of reporting them to the police when they had people staying for 5 days at Christmas, I don't know how many but three strange cars on the drive so I guess there were at least 3. I suppose I should have but didn't want to sink to their level.

Other neighbours who moved in after us had a hard time at first and we were supportive but eventually they were allowed into the inner circle and obviously a condition was we were to be kept at arms length.

I often wonder what they were like when they were at school.

Julie's ( can I call you back, I'm in a meeting ) IPad didn't bring much to the party did she?

I am surprised that parish councils have so many councillors! How and when are they elected? It’s not the local elections is it?

Where I lived, I was asked to go to the Parish Council meeting to raise an issue (newbie to the village). I went to the meeting and sat in the public bit.

5 councillors -all male -all ran the meeting how they wanted. Physically threatening each other at one point. The two chairmen - didn't even live in the village. It was awful. It is dire and was dire. I was in an abusive relationship and I ended up walking home shaking and crying. It was awful, like big huge bullies.

As suspected- he has no regrets www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/national-news/uk-today/19067887.i-reason-angry---star-viral-parish-meeting-sticks-guns/

@minchinfin

Lets just remember that Aled Brewerton, the ranty solicitor, was born in 1976 according to publicly available information at Companies House, so he is in his mid forties - so not all of this appalling behaviour can be explained away as the preserve of more seasoned retired people with nothing better to do.

I presume his father(?) was one of the seven members of public there, because there aren't any doubled surnames on the list of councillors.

@Roussette

That made me laugh and laugh!

The whole thing is not funny though really. Jackie could be cool as she actually did have power - the power to shut those idiots up and kick them. In normal times you just couldn't do it.

ancientgran All that is awful. There really are some horrible people around.

That Brewerton mid 40s guy is just the sort of man I cannot stand. Vile.

We have a bit of a bully here in the village. 6ft2 and built like a brick shithouse. Him and I had a bit of a difference of opinion up the pub about something local, not shouting and swearing, but he was very agitated. I stood my ground and did not budge an inch. He needed telling!
To be fair to him, he did apologise a week later and is very sweetness and light to me now.
Give in to bullies and you've had it. Go Jackie!

@TwitterTwatterofTinyMinds

It was glorious! I loved the calm, rational, procedure based shutting down of ranty men, by a woman who totally knew her stuff. In time gone by I'm sure all you needed to do to win was rant enough, be aggressive enough. But not now. There's a new sheriff in town. Jackie Weaver. Clerk, Assassin, Clerk again.

Hear, hear! Jackie Weaver for Prime Minister!

does Jackie have an address for fan mail?

looks like most of the planning committee meetings i attend.

@Christinaismyperson

I am surprised that parish councils have so many councillors! How and when are they elected? It’s not the local elections is it?

This is why Handforth is having the problems it is having. I'm not trying to be antagonistic but I have to ask WHY you don't know how and when your parish council is elected? Parish councils are at the bottom of the pecking order of local government, but are still never the less an basic cog in our democracy.

"rubbish as this was, note that parish councillors don't get paid. County councillors get allowances - and quite a few take them without doing anything, especially at the moment. Parish councillors work for free. I think only the clerk gets paid."

And this is why it's mainly retired people who do it.

@FortunesFave

Why are they all so OLD? Not being ageist....I've moved to Oz and over the past 5 years I've kind of got used to much younger counselors.

People under pension age generally have to work for a living or look after their family. They're not as free to give their time with no pay. I think you get a few more middle aged in county councils as there are allowances, but there's still loads of old men.

"This is why Handforth is having the problems it is having. I'm not trying to be antagonistic but I have to ask WHY you don't know how and when your parish council is elected? Parish councils are at the bottom of the pecking order of local government, but are still never the less an basic cog in our democracy."

Quite often there is no election at that level because there is only one candidate per area so they can just be appointed unelected.
I don't know about England, but in Wales, urban areas don't even have community councils so could that be the case for the poster who didn't know when her parish council election was?

"I've been on zoom now and then. How can you actually kick anyone off anyway unless you are the one holding the meeting."

JW was the host. Normally, the Chair would take the decision and the Zoom host would just press the button, but as the Chair was the one being disruptive, she just kicked him out.

As I understand it, Ms. Weaver is not a member of Handsworth Parish Council. She was sent along by the Cheshire Association of Local Councils because of past difficulties with the parish council meetings and would appear to be acting as the council clerk. I don't know what authority she has in law, but she is certainly not an elected representative of the people of the parish of Handforth. My first reaction is that Mr, Tolver who apparently is the elected chair, is correct and she has no legal status to remove him. She could certainly not do it physically without the police if this was in the council chamber. To eject a cllr from a meeting would normally need a vote from the cllrs., not an arbitrary decision from the clerk.

Having said that, there is no excuse for shouting at other people in these meetings. It would appear to be indicative of what has gone wrong with the council in the first place and why Ms. Weaver was drafted in.

Quite scary the levels of vitriol those men had for Jackie. I thought I would find it funny but it was a bit chilling. Can you imagine how they treat their wives/partners? The misogyny was oozing from them.
Depressing sight.

13 for 7 places last time.

Handforth is actually quite engaged as places go — they have an independent 'party' the Handforth Ratepayers, as well as other independents and the main parties.

What a waste of time and money.

Jumped up busybodies, full of self importance, acting like children. Disgraceful

@Colate that’s why I’m asking. I have never once received a single leaflet or newsletter through my letter box regarding parish council elections? I get information on ward elections which I assume is the local council elections being held in May, but nothing about local parish elections. I’m not wilfully being ignorant.

I’ve just googled it and found the PC section on the Borough Council page, it tells me nothing about elections other than they are held every 4 years. No information on when the next one is or the last one was or the results of the last one. I click through to my parish and the only information is the Clerks email and phone number.

I’ve lived at my address for 8 years and have never received any campaign information from any of the candidates.