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‘Hurricane’ Sally hits Shropshire
Thursday 30th June 2011, 9:51AM BST.
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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
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Who does Sally think she is? She’s not an elected representative, she’s not a minister, she’s not a civil servant, etc etc. She’s just the wife of the Speaker. And a Labour party member, clearly out to cause trouble.
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And your point is?
She was simply supporting something that she feels strongly about and has personal reasons to add weight to her support, is that so wrong?
Perhaps if we had more people showing their support to schemes such as this, our county would be viewed in a far better light, what hope have we when this message is conveyed back down to London.
Thanks to all that put on the show for the media.
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Yeah, exactly. A “show for the media”. That’s all it was. And as per usual the media fell for it, hook line and sinker.
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Yeah, but by posting a reply to the article you have assisted in pushing it into the most commented section on the front page and thus added to the ‘media show’.
And now, so have I.
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Perhaps a more pertinent question may be – Who do Shropshire Council think they are? They are proposing to close schools that the Shropshire electorate want to remain open, they are approving Biomass plants and incinerators that the Shropshire electorate do not want, they are approving supermarket expansion plans that the Shropshire electorate do not want… need I go on? At present the Council Leader and the Chief Executive are understandably not popular people with either public or the vast majority of their own staff. More power to your elbow, Sally and thanks for highlighting yet another PR disaster for Shropshire Council.
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Powys Geezer ,” who do they think they are?”
The owners?
……… but as you know comrade, all property is theft
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True, a publicity hungry failed mp.
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Fully agree with you David. Like many other people, I am sick to death of the antics of this silly woman. She is trouble with a capital “T”, a self publicist, of very limited intelligence (if you read some of her “Tweets” that is patently obvious) who has repeatedly abused her “position” as wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons – including, as is well known, posing virtually naked for a publicity shoot in the Speaker’s appartment.
It is about time that self serving individuals such as this selfish, silly, stupid creature were shown the door – as thankfully Mrs Bercow was on this occasion. Of course she is not alone – the former Duchess of York is a similar individual.
A publicity stunt on behalf, I suspect, of the Labour Party, of which Mrs Bercow is an enthusiastic supporter. Nothing wrong in supporting a political party, but don’t use your husband’s position as a front for doing so. And, if she has an autistic child, then surely she would be better off back home in London caring for him, than attempting to interfere in matters here which do not concern her.
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Well said. The visit was coordinated by the former local Labour party branch secretary, who now fronts the ‘stop the cuts campaign’.
This was a publicity stunt by a failed Labour candidate. I assume she had confirmed she had been CRB checked before attempting to force her way in?
The officers were right to stop her and any other self publicists. After all this is a centre for vulnerable people, not a zoo!
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Entirely selfish of her to campaign for the continuance of an impotant support to vulnerable people. I quite agree (heavy irony). Are you another Tory apologist?
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That’s ‘IMPORTANT support’, of course, hahahaha, in case the Grammar Police (of which I am a leading member) are watching!
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Sir, she is a woman that cares about the plight of the aged and those in special need, politics don’t come into this , Shroshire Council need exploiting for what they are, cowboys, no , I would not want to offend real cowboys.
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Dear David
I can assure you Mrs Bercow is the wife of the Speaker John Bercow and IS a Conservative!
Therefore she is a Conservative ‘out to cause trouble’.
The cuts and unemployment ALWAYS associated with basic Tory policy cause ‘trouble’!!
Get the straw out of your ear old lad, and make sure you know what you are saying before you write in castigating the Labour Party.
Yokel!
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She’s a member of the Labour party. Fact. End of.
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Oh dear. Her husband might be a Tory, but she is a member of the Labour party – she was almost elected a Labour MP in 2010 for goodness sake!
Before you try to be clever (and fail miserably at that) try reading up on the subject matter. Straw head indeed.
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I am not aware that apart from being the wife of the speaker of the house of commons, (which itself should grant her no special favours in an age when women wish to be seen for themselves and not an appendage of their husband) she has any more special qualifications to go wherever she wants than I do.
If I wanted to go into the Grange and talk to the users I would have to go through all the procedures. Why should she be treated any differently to anyone else? I thought that the labour party (and she is/was a wannabe Labour MP) did not believe in special privileges for special people?
Sounds to me like a cooked up political stunt
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another pr disaster from shropshire council!
Who’s running this show?
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OMG
Some of the PR Officers have balls up here, its obviously better to let her in with minimal media fuss
After the debacle of the Winter roads and rubbish mayhem with zero communication then the Kim Ryley walking PR disaster headlines of late I think someone in the PR Department is going to be taken out and shot!
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How gorgeous is Sally Bercow?
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It was only this month that we saw members of the press hoicked out of a ward by a doctor whilst Mssrs Cameron and Clegg did a photo opportunity, why should Mrs Bercow, who holds no office of state be treated differently?
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That was because they were unscrubbed and had entered an area where professional health workers were expected to be appropriately and demonstrably clean. As such, the publicity hungry politicians were correctly considered to be a potential risk to hygiene. I am sure that in this case, no such threat was posed by the presumably fragrant Sally.
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Wow well done Shropshire council she will have gone back with a wonderful picture of how we conduct ourselves in Shropshire.
Mrs Bercow may not be an important political member but at least she takes interest in matters outside London which is more than can be said for some. Thanks to this circus she has now returned thinking that we all conduct ourselves in this manner in Shropshire. Gee thanks you have done us proud Shropshire Council. Sounds like the media had a field day (wonder who will get the £250 if it’s shown!)
Personally I think this does have political ramifications on both sides after all the council is politically led (by members) and having someone who is an associate of an opposing party offering support to a group/facility that the council want to close down would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Once again shows how inflexible Shropshire Council are, and why we love them so much!
The article states that the council wrote to Mrs Bercow to explain their access policy, on finding out about her planned visit from the media. So we can assume from the fact that they didn’t make a phone call or email her office but wrote to her! that there was fair amount of time from when Shropshire Council first found out of her intended visit, to the time when she actually arrived. Surely a logical approach would have been to get this in place?
This is typical of the kind of bureaucratic cock up we expect from our local government office.
The final comment I also find condescending
Quote from your article.
“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.”
Touchy!! Learn from mistakes don’t try and fight back.
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Sally Bercow a Ray of Sunshine for modern day politics, Her husband in my opinion is a great speaker. He keeps our Rowdy politician’s in order and they make a great Husband and wife team. It was very sad that this happened. Shame on you Shropshire officials.
I would not like to cross swords with Sally and her political friends.
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“Husband and wife team”?! This isn’t a game show, it’s real life. Or it is to us, I guess it is just a game for the political elite.
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poor old Shropshire council, looks like they are being centre of attention, I always thought that they were there for the people looks to me like they are just there to be a bollard in the way of progress.
Everything that seems to involve the council sees to end up derailing. I would of thought they would of been trying to work in the peoples interest not worrying about who is going to get the bonus. Looks like Mr Taylor is the golden boy this year well done sir.
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She of all people should understand protocol.
If she had followed procedure and made evident a written invitation from the centre that the visit had been cleared by senior staff then there would have been no problem. However, as was clearly not a personal visit as no-one makes a personal visit to a centre such as this with a camera and sound crew in toe.
The only one with egg on her face and showing a blatant disregard for authority is one Mrs Berk-Crow.
Where did she get this idea from Dom Jolly?
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in toe?
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My most humble apologies for hitting the ‘E” that is right next to the ‘W” In haste.
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Whatever the rights or wrongs of Mrs Bercow visiting, the first perception of the council is that it’s faceless, incommunicative and trying to hide something. First headlines get stuff accross far more efficiently that secondary denials – however more-accurate they may be.
They should have stumped up a spokesman quickly to be there and deny/clarify, etc.. This is the real media world and its coming to our world far more often these days.
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Who says your first impression of the Council is wrong. Over the past few months, from school closures to the Grange Centre, and especiallly in the way the Council has treated its staff, they have been shifty, uncommunicative, dictatorial, inconsistent and two faced.
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wait a minute….
they had been “expecting her” but she hadnt given prior notice?
what did they want, in writing, in triplicate?
thats beaurocracy gone mad
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It just shows the attitude of the standard grey suited beaurocrat at shirehall
they are mindless automodons, they must lack all empathy and common sense really or they are just whipped by stupid bosses who give them no freedom or creativity to use their brain day to day
I mean anyone with an ounce of PR experience could tell you the best thing to do would have been to ignore the visit not make it into a massive news story
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Good on her!
as a taxpayer she has every right
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I think many of you are missing the point here.Sally’s actions were the actions of a concerned mother not a political activist!
If you read the 5th paragraph it say’s and I quote “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.
We all have to get off our own personal political bandwagons and see the situiation for what it is. Shropshire Council are closing down a Day centre in Harlescott.
Livinf with autistic or disabled children is very stressful for parents and they need time away to relax. You should all thank god you are not in their situation as Mrs Bercow was. so she knows the situation!
So let’s have some care and compassion for these poor parents and find some other way to save money.( maybe reduce the pay of local councillors)
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How naive!
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Yeah right…
And monkeys might fly out of my butt…
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lol
pr disaster or what!
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shes amazing such a strong women i love her
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lol i dont envy that poor chap from the council – tried hard but looked a fool
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hen my grandmother attended a day centre I didn’t need the permission of all the residents to pop by and say hello and nor did I have a Shropshire Council “Communications Team” welcoming committee. I feel let down!
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I’m guessing you didnt have an army of labour party sycophants or tv crews tagging along, did you?
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OMG What a PR Disaster for shropshire council
a total own goal though
are they
#stupidorwhat
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shes a whirling dervish, blowing in to town to huff and puff and blow the tory council down – go sal! x
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“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.
Edward Davies invited her along to the centre.
She highlighted the closure of the centre and embarrassed the council that’s what.
By refusing her entry the Council have given her great publicity to her cause,that of stopping the closing down a centre that provides necessary support for disabled people.
The Communications team should be cut not the Grange day centre.
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I agree. This isn’t about Sally Bercow, however brilliant a job she did of embarrassing Shropshire Council, but the appalling cut of the Grange Day Centre. The Council representative was very keen to stress how in not allowing Sally Bercow in they were taking account of the views of people who use the Grange, but it is telling that he barely looked at Edward Davies during the exchange and didn’t address a single question or comment to him. Shropshire Council seem to have complete disregard for the views and needs of disabled people- how else could they even consider closing the Grange?
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If sally’s visit was “personal” then how come her press and camera’s were there?
Another lame publicity stunt to boost her fame.
The woman is pathetic, just like her husband.
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Hear, Hear!
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well done sally bercow, protocol will not save the grange centre, scc are having to close it because of cut backs from the coalition, because of the country being insolvent because of gordon brown
this centre should not be close and sally bercow not matter what her politics works tirelessly for disabled children.
she is a strong character who is part of a very strong double act, her husband john the speaker in parliament does not suffer fools gladly from the prime minister downwards. they both desrve our praise and perhaps scc can do the decent thing and formerly invite them to shropshire for the day.
in the mean time the grange centre is too important to loose. good on the bercows i say
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mega babe
nice
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[Who says your first impression of the Council is wrong. Over the past few months, from school closures to the Grange Centre, and especiallly in the way the Council has treated its staff, they have been shifty, uncommunicative, dictatorial, inconsistent and two faced.]
But at least we have rebuilt a disused, derilect railway station for the benefit of a few railway anoraks who couldn’t get the money from the lottery. Instead, extaordinarily, Shropshire Council have provided land and finance for this ‘deserving?’ little club!
The value of the project would have kept several professional council officers jobs and the council owned land could have been sold to provide much needed affordable housing.
Sally Bercow should look into that if she wants to see how this council is run and for who’s benefit.
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Our Councils needs get their priorities right. The railway station is just one example of money being splashed around on new projects while essential services are being cut.
If we are in the dire financial situation that the coalition says we are, we need to focus on the basics – education, caring for people who are old/disabled etc and all the non-essential stuff should be shelved. Do without new Christmas decorations and costly floral displays if it means that The Grange can stay open or a school be saved.
And if cuts do have to be made to essential services, make sure that the right procedures are followed so that cuts are made in the right places. Another thing Shropshire Council is failing to do.
Justifications for cuts often don’t stack up and are riddled with inaccuracies. Shropshire Council couldn’t even get the dates right on the legal notices for Wakeman and had to republish them – how much is that costing us?
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“Sally Bercow should look into that if she wants to see how this council is run and for whose benefit.”
That and many other issues. There’s a lot more interesting stuff out there on the internet if you care to look hard enough.
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i’d say someone got this badly wrong, i think this is a pr disaster which just reminds folk that the tories are nasty party they dont care about disabled people so they cut care homes whilst taking fat cat salaries themselves and continue to waste money on luxuries like theatres and arts
any person with common sense could have advised that in pr terms this was badly handled and going to backfire on them
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she is right to hightlight a big issue here, lets bring it back to the grange and remember the real issue here a home for disabled people is being cut, the con dems in shropshire and westminster cut frontline care homes before getting to grips with back office layers of middle management in the public sector they are just like the 80′s they have no interest in helping the public and providing public services
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[Our Councils needs get their priorities right. The railway station is just one example of money being splashed around on new projects while essential services are being cut.]
Quite so john dervish!
This Abbey Railway Museum was slipped through planning with no business plan or evidence that such a facility was or was likely to be a real benefit to Shrewsbury taxpayers.
The site was council owned land that we have wasted with scaffolding up at public expense for several years.
It is the allocation of public money for a minority interest that really rankles.
The site for development was worth in the region of £200,000. The money set aside many years ago by SABC £150,000, nevermind the costs of propping up and security of the area for almost the last decade.
How many other far more deserving groups, charities etc. who failed to obtain lottery funding get that kind of tax payers money?
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damn shes good ,
dont just love seeing tories being wound up!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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At the end of the day she has achieved her aims by getting you all talking about her!
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Yeah, her, not the cause she’s (supposedly) supporting. She’s just an attention seeker.
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Well she is a tax payer and has an opinion, what ever her motives her visit gave the center publicity with regards its dilemma. They were aware she was on her way, its not her job to keep some pen pusher in shire hall in employment with exchanging pointless bureaucratic letters MOST people it seems are aware who she is , save a tree I say and good on sally too. I also wonder could she pose in a blanket outside shirehall got more chance of getting there than the speakers quarters
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