The video begins with the chairman of Handforth Parish Council asking if he will be “thrown out” of the meeting as he was the last time the council met, to which another councillor shouts “quite rightly.” “As long as we have reasonable behaviour no one will be excluded from the meeting,” responds the meeting clerk. The chairman proceeds to complain then moves on to tell the clerk what her role requires her to do and quotes council law. One attendee answers her telephone while the clerk again addresses the chairman, saying: “If you proceed to disrupt this meeting, I will have to remove you from it.” At this point she removes the chairman from the meeting while another attendee shouts “you can’t!” All of the attendees are shocked by her actions. The clerk then suggests electing another chairman, while a councillor angrily shouts: “No they can’t as the vice-chairman is still here – I take charge! Read the standing orders! Read them and understand them!” Another councillor, slightly confused, asks where the chairman is, causing the others to laugh heartily in response. The video then cuts and viewers are left wondering how the meeting ended. Take a look at the video and see how not to conduct yourself in a council meeting.
