London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Handforth Parish Council chairman admits 'losing cool' in viral meeting

Handforth Parish Council chairman admits 'losing cool' in viral meeting

The chairman of a parish council whose meeting went viral has apologised for losing his cool but said he stood by the claims he made in it.

Handforth Parish Council's meeting in December spiralled out of control, with chairman Brian Tolver telling local government advisor Jackie Weaver she had "no authority here".

In a YouTube video, Mr Tolver urged viewers to "look at the true story".

Ms Weaver said she disagreed with Mr Tolver's comments on "so many levels".

Millions of viewers have watched a cut-down version of the Cheshire council's meeting, which included shouting, a disruptive phone call and parish councillors being ejected.

Mr Tolver, who refused to recognise the legitimacy of the meeting, was one of the members who was removed after he asked Ms Weaver if she was acting as "clerk or proper officer", before stating: "You have no authority here, Jackie Weaver."

Jackie Weaver said she had shone "a light on what we consider to be totally unacceptable behaviour"

In his online statement, which begins with the theme music from 1970s BBC animated series Mr Benn, Mr Tolver said it was "quite likely" that people knew him "as the monstrous villain of the piece in the story of Jackie Weaver and Handforth Parish Council".

"I lost my cool and I regret that and I apologise to the people of Handforth," he said.

However, Mr Tolver said he had been correct in stating that the conditions for calling the extraordinary meeting, as outlined in the standing orders and in law, had not been met and Ms Weaver's decision to remove him was "not only unfortunate, but it was illegal".

"She literally had no authority to do that," he said, adding that Ms Weaver "either doesn't know the law or chose to disregard it".

Brian Tolver said it was "quite likely" that people knew him "as the monstrous villain of the piece"

Responding to the video, Ms Weaver said she disagreed with the points made in the video on "so many levels" and it was "disingenuous" to label her as a stranger as they had met before.

She said she never claimed to be the clerk or proper officer but she was there to facilitate the meeting as part of her job for the Cheshire Association of Local Councils.

Ms Weaver said Mr Tolver was "mistaken" if he believed she had done Handforth "a disservice", as the council had "just renewed their affiliation fee with the association so they clearly value our assistance", adding that the village's residents had also asked her to judge their scarecrow competition.

"The last thing I would want to do is bring our councils into disrepute and I don't think I have done that," she said.

"I think what I've done is shine a light on what we consider to be totally unacceptable behaviour."

Analysis

By Peter Swabey, policy and research director at the Chartered Governance Institute

One of the points is around whether there is a difference between a proper officer and a clerk. Ms Weaver says not, Mr Tolver says that this is basic law.

In a sense, they are both right. The term proper officer is peculiar to local government and refers to someone designated as being responsible for a particular function or range of functions.

This includes the officer responsible for issuing the summon to a council meeting and that person's job title could easily be clerk, so while they are technically separate roles, there is no reason why the same person cannot hold both.

The key question is whether any proper officer has been properly appointed, which seems to be an issue here, and their constitution, the much-vaunted standing orders, may make specific provision for how this should be handled.


A cut-down version of the meeting soon became a "must see"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×