Jackie Weaver did NOT have the authority, report says
The Shropshire council officer who became an internet sensation when she removed councillor from an online meeting, did not have the authority, an independent investigation has found.
Jackie Weaver, from Prees, went viral when a controversial meeting of Handforth Parish Council, across the Cheshire border was seen by millions of people.
The bad tempered meeting that Mrs Weaver was brought in to oversee, disintegrated into shouting and councillors losing their temper. As chief officer of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils, she muted some of the councillors, only to be told she 'did not have the authority' a term that has become a catchphrase.
The parish council Zoom meeting in December 2020 saw Mrs Weaver become an instant celebrity, making television appearances, and there was even a rap written mentioning her. She has gone on to write a book and appear at functions across the region.
However, an independent investigation reports that Handforth Parish Council has decided to publish, say that the muting of microphones and removing individual councillors from the meeting was something she did not have the authority to have.
