Chairman of THAT dysfunctional Handforth parish council Zoom RESIGNS
Chairman of THAT dysfunctional Handforth parish council meeting who told Jackie Weaver she had ‘no authority’ RESIGNS over fallout
- Handforth Parish Council chairman Brian Tolver resigned over infamous fallout
- He told clerk Jackie Weaver she’d ‘no authority’ to take charge of Zoom meeting
- A video of virtual meeting became a viral hit after she kicked the chairman our
The chairman of an infamous parish council whose Zoom meeting descended into chaos has now resigned over the fallout.
Pandemonium broke out after Handforth Parish Council chairman Brian Tolver told stand-in clerk Jackie Weaver that she had ‘no authority’ to take charge in December of last year.
Councillors traded insults with one shouting at Mrs Weaver to ‘read the standing orders’.
The meeting became a viral hit after she kicked out the chairman, shouting councillors and was lauded for standing up to bullies.
The chairman faced a barrage of criticism and admitted that he was known as ‘the monstrous villain of the piece’.
Pandemonium broke out after Handforth Parish Council chairman Brian Tolver (pictured) told stand-in clerk Jackie Weaver that she had ‘no authority’ to take charge
He apologised for losing ‘my cool’ but insisted he was right.
However he has since been isolated as his main allies on the council have not attended meetings after they were accused of acting ‘disgracefully,. towards Mrs Weaver.
Mr Tolver, 74, announced his resignation at the latest council meeting in Handforth, Cheshire.
He said: ‘I am intending to resign as chairman of the council.
‘I intend to resign as chair at the end of this meeting.’
Parish clerk Jackie Weaver during a meeting of Handforth Parish Council which become an unlikely internet sensation after it descended into chaos
Mr Tolver, 74, (pictured) announced his resignation at the latest council meeting in Handforth, Cheshire
It was greeted by a few shocked murmurs from fellow councillors and members of the public.
However he refused to elaborate but denied councillor John’s Smith’s claim that it was for his support for the parish council to be abolished for a merger with neighbouring Wilmslow.
Mr Tolver added: ‘I am resigning but not for those reasons.’
Councillor Susan Moore later said: ‘He is isolated on the council as his allies have not been seen since that meeting with Jackie Weaver.
‘He has no power so he cannot do what he wants.
‘He should have apologised for his behaviour but he didn’t.’
During their infamous meeting in December, Mr Tolver accused rival councillors of calling it illegally and yelled: ‘You have no authority here, Jackie Weaver! No authority at all.’
Councillor Aled Brewerton (left) during a meeting of Handforth Parish Council
Councillor Cynthia Samson during a meeting of Handforth Parish Council
Vice-chairman Aled Brewerton, 36, also proceeded to yell at Ms Weaver to: ‘Read the standing orders. Read them and understand them.’
Mrs Weaver was hailed for her calm handling of the fiery meeting in December which saw Mr Tolver kicked off the call twice.
Describing her anxiety during the row, Ms Weaver told ITV News: ‘I’m glad I was sitting not standing, my knees were shaking.
Mr Tolver was re-elected as a Handforth Ratepayers’ Association (Independent) candidate for the South Ward on Handforth Parish Council in 2019, gaining 271 votes
Viral council meeting star Jackie Weaver (pictured with her husband Stuart) has insisted she did have the power to boot out a ‘disruptive’ council chairman who ordered her to ‘stop talking’ in a now-viral Zoom hearing
‘No, I didn’t feel as confident as I looked but I was just determined that they were going to be able to hold that meeting’.
Mrs Weaver, who lives in Whitchurch, Shropshire, has received messages of support from around the world amid claims the hectoring she received amounted to sexist bullying.
A second Zoom council meeting charge by Mr Tolver also descended into chaos with arguments, comedy costumes from members of the public and someone playing the Benny Hill theme tune.
WARRING FACTIONS AT THE HEART OF HANDFORTH PARISH COUNCIL
THE PEACEMAKER
Jackie Weaver
Jackie Weaver was assisting councillors during the Handforth Parish Council meeting which captured national attention
Jackie Weaver was assisting councillors during the now famous Handforth Parish Council meeting which captured national attention.
She is the Chief Officer of the Cheshire Association of local councils.
Jackie is married to Stuart, a retired design engineer, and they have three grown up children – but no grandchildren.
The group is a member based organisation that exists to promote the rights and interests of Town and Parish Council across Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington, Trafford and Halton Boroughs.
It provides support, including legal support, to local councils in the area, as well as running training programme for clerks and councillors.
The meeting has now been viewed by 3million people.
She told BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour: ‘I suppose the surprise comes in large part because actually 99.99% – that’s an actual fact I’m sure – of council meetings are just not like that. They are often less exciting than we might hope they were.’
Ms Weaver said she had had ‘nothing but really lovely, positive support’ since the clip had gone viral.
She said that it was important to try to eradicate ‘bad behaviour’ from local councils.
She added: ‘A lot of us are working very hard – and that includes central government – to try to do something about that, because we’re passionate about the fact that local government is the mechanism by which people can really engage with their communities.’
FACTION ONE
Brian Tolver
Brian Victor Tolver is the former chairman of Handforth Parish Council
Brian Victor Tolver is the former chairman of Handforth Parish Council.
He was re-elected as a Handforth Ratepayers’ Association (Independent) candidate for the South Ward on Handforth Parish Council in 2019, gaining 271 votes.
He has been a parish councillor for over five years and is a founder member of Hands Off Handforth Green Belt (HoHGB) – a campaign group run aiming to ‘protect our village from unnecessary development on our precious open space’.
Outside of the council he runs a software business called Brooke House Ltd.
Aled Brewerton
Aled Brewerton is an independent councillor who represents the Handforth West Ward
Aled Brewerton is an independent councillor who represents the Handforth West Ward.
He was elected to his seat in 2019, winning with 353 votes.
He is currently the vice chairman of the council and chair of the council’s finance committee.
Outside of the council, he is a self-employed solicitor and ‘professional investigator’ who runs A2Z Investigations Ltd.
Barry Burkhill
Barry Edward Burkhill is an independent councillor for the Handforth ‘Ratepayers’ Association’ on Handforth Parish Council
Barry Edward Burkhill is an independent councillor for the Handforth ‘Ratepayers’ Association’ on Handforth Parish Council.
He represents Handforth South Ward and was re-elected to the seat with 316 votes in 2019.
He is also elected to represent the Handforth Ward at East Chesire Borough Council. He was re-elected for a third time in 2019. having first been elected in 2011.
On top of this, he is the current Mayor of Cheshire East. He has represented Handforth for 38 years and for 28 years was a member of Macclesfield Borough Council, of which he was elected mayor in 2007.
Outside of the council, he is retired.
FACTION TWO
Susan Moore
Susan Moore was elected to Handforth Parish Council in 2019
Susan Moore was elected to Handforth Parish Council in 2019. She is an independent councillor, representing Handforth West Ward, which she won with 451 votes.
Outside of the council, she is involved in Moore Secure Ltd – a company which installs CCTV, fire alarms and other home security measures.
John Smith
John Michael Smith is an independent councillor for Handforth Parish Council
John Michael Smith is an independent councillor for Handforth Parish Council.
He represents Handforth East Ward, a seat to which he was re-elected uncontested in 2019.
He is a self-employed driving instructor outside of the council.
His wife, Julie, is a pharmacy assistant and a councillor.
She ran as an independent candidate for the Handforth Borough ward on Cheshire East Council in 2019 – a seat which she won.
The pair are said to have five adult children and two grandsons.
Cynthia Sampson
Cynthia Margaret Samson is an independent councillor for Handforth Parish Council
Cynthia Margaret Samson is an independent councillor for Handforth Parish Council.
She represents the Handforth East Ward, a seat to which he was re-elected uncontested in 2019.
She is a retired accountant who is married to Christopher Sampson, a driver for the Chesire-based epilepsy support charity, the David Lewis Centre.
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