London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 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
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×