'Hurricane' Sally hits Shropshire

It was a PR disaster of the highest calibre. Right from the moment Sally Bercow, the wife of House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, stepped out of the car it was clear she had not come all the way up from London for a jolly.

Members of Shropshire Council's communications team had arrived in good time for her arrival at the Grange Day Centre in Harlescott, Shrewsbury, yesterday afternoon.

They had been expecting her, despite warning that she would not be allowed to enter the building because she had not given "prior notice" of her visit.

But as they were about to painfully discover there is more to this woman than posing for photographs wearing nothing but a bedsheet.

For Sally, yesterday's visit was personal. Her eldest son has autism and the thought that a centre, which for 25 years has provided "lifeline" services for disabled people in the area, will be closed by the council next month was a step too far.

As she walked towards the centre in Levens Drive at about 1.30pm she was pleasant and courteous but for all her charm it's clear this is a woman who does not take no for an answer.

After being told that she would not be allowed in to speak to Edward Davies and fellow service users, she turned on the style for the cameras and media present.

She said: "If you care about your residents surely, rather than forcing me to go into the car park surely I should be able to go into the warm and see him?

"Basically you are banning me from going in there. I had no idea.

"I do not pose a danger to the service users I only pose a danger to Shropshire Council because I am bringing negative publicity that they are closing this centre which is a lifeline for local people."

It turned ugly for the council, and the decision not to allow her entry led to the kind of adverse publicity you would expect to find in a 'How not to do PR' video.

Surely it would have been easier just to have let her into the centre, visit the service users and let her go on her way?

Even locking the doors and staying inside would have been better than the circus that ensued.

Speaking after the calamitous events, Sally said: "I think it's disgraceful that I have not been allowed in to see Eddie who had invited me to come, and that I was forced to speak to service users in a car park. The council has scored a massive own goal."

Shropshire Council says its policy is to ensure that all visitors to such facilities give formal prior notice of their intention to come.

David Taylor, corporate director for people at Shropshire Council, said: "As soon as we found out about this, via the local media, we wrote to contact Mrs Bercow explaining that we would need to gain consent from all the service users before a visit could be arranged to ensure they were all happy. Any visit must be at the consent of all people who use the facility.

"Had anyone contacted us in the normal way, in advance, we would have been able to put the appropriate arrangements in place and providing there was a consensus, the visit would have taken place.

"We extended an invitation for a private visit with Mrs Bercow who I'm sure will let us know in due course if she wishes to attend."

By Russell Roberts