A councillor who told Jackie Weaver to ‘read and understand’ the standing orders during the infamous Handforth Council Zoom meeting has said life has been ‘hell’ since the clip went viral.
Aled Brewerton, 46, who resigned after the chaotic parish council meeting went viral, said he and his father still feel ‘uneasy’ about being seen in public after it took the internet by storm, garnering millions of views.
Mr Brewerton, who previously represented the West Ward, claims he has received death threats following the row in which Jackie Weaver was told ‘you have no authority here’.
Two years on, he said that he and his dad Keith Brewerton, 76, avoid their local pubs as they ‘do not wish to be involved in civil disobedience’ as they feel ‘that’s embarrassing for our village’.
The pair were both present on the December 2020 parish council call which descended into chaos.
Keith and Aled also claim the video should not have been published in the first place due to privacy issues – which would have stopped the viral storm.
One of the men who infamously shouted at Mrs Weaver during the remote video call – vice-chairman Aled Brewerton (left) – has quit the council
During the parish council Zoom meeting, it was found that Mrs Weaver struggled to keep control of the unruly meeting – memorably being told: ‘You have no authority here, Jackie Weaver! No authority at all!’
When Mrs Weaver then kicked chairman Brian Tolver, 74, out of the Zoom call, Aled began berating her and shouted: ‘Read the standing orders, read them and understand them!’
He was subsequently also removed from the meeting.
And during the seven-minute edited highlights package of the hearing, someone is heard exclaiming: ‘f*** off’ at the start, a toilet flushes and another person answers the front door as councillors from two rival factions struggled with the mute button.
Cheshire East Council’s Audit and Governance Committee also launched a probe into what happened during the meet. In March 2022, the council published six reports – totalling 145 pages – which considered the behaviour of those who attended before and during the meeting.
Aled and Keith both briefly became famous after the video was picked up in February 2021.
But now, they say their lives have been adversely affected.
Aled has claimed: ‘I’ve been told that I deserve to die and burn in hell. It’s that bad that even my partner has been threatened.
‘I didn’t resign off the parish council because of any investigation; I resigned because the events made me ill and I was fed up.
‘It was an absolute mess. Neighbouring councils wouldn’t work with us, we were the butt of all jokes. It really was embarrassing.’
Handforth Parish Council – now known as Handforth Town Council – operates in the eponymous Cheshire town, which is home to around 6,000 people.
It rarely made headline news – that is until the recorded meeting went viral and the world’s media became interested.
In the video, Aled famously demanded that Ms Weaver should ‘read the standing orders – read them and understand them’.
During the Zoom call, Aled began berating Mrs Weaver and shouted: ‘Read the standing orders, read them and understand them!’
Aled Brewerton has finally spoken about his part in the local democracy’s viral zoom call
Parish clerk Jackie Weaver during a meeting of Handforth Parish Council, who became an unlikely internet sensation after the Zoom call descended into chaos
Following this, she became a minor celebrity and an overnight sensation for her calm handling of irate councillors.
However, Keith and Aled claim they have since experienced harassment from members of the public.
The pair allege they have received threats from the public and are unable to even enjoy a pint without the video being mentioned.
Aled resigned from the council in April 2021, explaining: ‘Basically it’s been two years of hell.
‘We’ve got a situation now where certain people don’t say, ‘Oh it’s Handforth Town Council’. The initials that are being used are HCC – for Handforth Clown Council.
‘That’s not just in this area, I have seen that on YouTube nationally and Facebook nationally and that’s embarrassing for our village.
‘I’ve been told that my home address has been shared on the internet and social media.
‘And when I’ve got to go out in public it makes me feel uneasy.’
Aled’s resignation came days after chairman Mr Tolver resigned in 2021, citing the criticism he had received for his behaviour during the online meeting.
Aled Brewerton, a councillor, and his father, Keith Brewerton, claim they have received death threats in the aftermath of the row and still feel uneasy in their local pubs
Zoom parish council chairman Brian Tolver (pictured) revealed Mrs Weaver actually kicked him out of the Zoom call. He resigned in 2021, citing the criticism he had received for his behaviour during the online meeting
Keith added: ‘It’s very easy to be abusive on the internet when it’s not a face-to-face meeting and you can use a different name.
‘I went into a local pub with one of Aled’s friends on Aled’s birthday and people came in and started chanting at us.
‘If we go to a pub, we go out of the village – we don’t go into local pubs because we do not wish to be involved in civil disobedience.
‘It took me a fair while to convince Aled he could go into the village on his own and do his shopping.
‘There never has been a problem but it’s the thought in the back of your mind that there could be a problem.’
Keith and Aled also claim the video should not have been published in the first place due to privacy issues – which would have stopped the viral storm.
The Information Commisioner’s Office (ICO) said it had investigated a complaint but closed the case with no further action taken.
An ICO spokesperson said: ‘The council stated that the recording of these meetings is standard as they are public.
‘As a result, we provided guidance around data protection issues including reminding them of the importance of ensuring their privacy policies are clear and advise members of the public that their data may be captured during the recording of these meetings.
‘They were also reminded of the lawful basis that the data is processed. The case has since been closed with no further action taken.’
