Local council meetings are usually known to be like watching paint dry at the best of times, but it’s hard to forget when clips from a Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting went viral on social media all the way back in February 2021 thanks to a choir of raised voices, hysterical laughter, endless complaints, passive aggressive behaviour, and swearing councillors trading insults left, right and centre.
It went so viral, in fact, that people were aptly describing it as “British comedy gold” and “the best British comedy in decades”.
You may remember that, with the tension between members having been continuing to build, the meeting eventually culminated with the Handforth Parish Council Clerk himself – or at least, that’s what his screen name said, but his identity has since been disproven – being booted off the call entirely by the year’s unlikely star – none other than, Jackie Weaver.
Those were the Clerk’s famous last words before Jackie Weaver exercised the authority we all thought she did have, and removed him from the meeting.
The viral meeting was labelled “British comedy gold” and “the best British comedy in decades” / Credit: Handforth Council / YouTube (ma0sm)
But now, after a lengthy investigation into the matter, Cheshire East Council has published six reports about the behaviour of councillors at the parish council – which is now called Handforth Town Council – and it has actually found that Ms Weaver “was not acting in an official capacity at the meetings”.
The reports confirmed “she did not have authority to manage the attendance at those meetings,” although it did say “it is understandable why she acted as she did”.
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“Faced with what were unusual and difficult circumstances, and the deep-seated issues underpinning those circumstances, we can understand whyJackie Walker acted as she did, despite her action being without any formal footing in terms of appropriate process and procedure,” the reports said.
The reports found that “on the balance of probability”, three former councillors did breach some sections of the Code of Conduct, but another report found that three current councillors were not in breach of the code.
Yet the report said the behaviour of the current councillors “cannot be said to be exemplary”.
Greater Manchester customers slam Sainsbury’s policy that makes them ‘feel like thieves’
Georgina Pellant
Customers at a number of Sainsbury’s stores in Greater Manchester have been left fuming as the result of a policy requiring receipts to be scanned before they can exit
Upon leaving stores, shoppers at Sainsbury’s supermarkets in Fallowfield and Salford are being confronted with automated barriers that can only be opened by scanning their receipt – or by contacting a store assistant.
Many have taken to Reddit to slam the new policy, with several claiming it is a ‘pointless waste of money and time’ and others saying they have been left ‘feeling like thieves’.
The receipt barriers, some shoppers say, only ‘makes life harder’ – yet it appears that Sainsbury’s is planning to roll them out at other stores across the UK too, following on from the introduction of cameras at its self-service stations in recent years.
The move by the supermarket echoes similar moves by the American supermarket Walmart, which is notorious for staff approaching ‘random’ customers at its exits and asking them to produce their receipts as they leave stores.
You don’t have to comply with this. Just push the barrier open and keep walking.@sainsburys need to learn to treat their customers better. pic.twitter.com/aCnPyxixWu
A series of recent posts on Reddit exposes several threads in which users commented on the introduction of the receipt barriers, both here in Greater Manchester as well as further afield.
The social media site reveals that stores in Fallowfield and Salford have both become unpopular since they started adopting the policy, which requires customers to scan receipts in order for them to exit.
If receipts are not scanned, barriers prevent customers from leaving until a store assistant is contacted.
One Reddit user has posted a picture of a notice in one of the Sainsbury’s store, reading: “We’ve introduced new barriers as you leave this store.”
“You’ll need to take your receipt and scan this on the barcode reader in front of the barriers.”
@sainsburys Salford New Bailey Square- security colleague very unpleasantly ordered me to scan the receipt from the Costa machine instead of tapping the drink on the screen. A meal deal so wouldn’t effect the price. Why is the option to tap on the screen if not allowed to use?
— Andrew O'Callaghan (@andyocallaghan) May 7, 2023
The original poster said they were ‘not a fan of how this is spreading’, leading other users on the site to agree.
Another person said the policy was a ‘pointless waste of money and time’ that ‘just makes everyone’s life harder, whilst another customer added: “Looks like Sainsbury’s can get f****d then.”
@sainsburys Salford making you scan your receipt after using self scan. What a big fat waste of paper. Grow up
@sainsburys I've just been locked in to self-checkout for not getting a receipt. By treating me as a thief you have lost me as a decades-long customer. Outrageous. Open more checkouts if you want to verify all purchases. You are greedy and hostile. Goodbye and good riddance.
The installation of the barriers has left some customers “feeling like thieves” since their arrival last year but it appears that the supermarket has no plans to suspend the rollout, despite the backlash from shoppers.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said that the barriers are “one of a range of security measures” installed in a “small number of stores” but would not disclose how many it has installed in the UK.
Featured image –Twitter
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Walkers is opening a string of crisp butty cafes across the UK
Georgina Pellant
We all love a crisp butty here in the UK. Or, at least 98% of us do, according to research conducted by Walkers.
There’s simply no denying how those crunchy slices of potato – be they deep-fried, air-fried or baked – add a lift to even the most humdrum sarnie.
So when we heard the news that Walkers is opening a host of crisp butty cafes across the UK we were pretty gassed, to say the least.
Locations are yet to be confirmed, with each shop set to run a unique menu of crisp-filled sandwiches alongside their own regionally-inspired offerings, reportsThe Hoot.
Loaded up with the likes of Quavers, Wotsits and Monster Munch, the new UK cafes will serve up the very best crunchy sandwiches created in collaboration with Max Halley, the guru behind the famous London sandwich shop Max’s.
Whilst most of the sandwich combinations are still being kept under wraps, we have heard talk of a fish finger Monster Munch hybrid with added chipotle mayo, Pic De Gallo and cabbage on focaccia, aka the ‘‘Might Monster Muncher’.
The decision to open the new UK crisp sandwich shops is inspired by Walker’s own research after the company discovered a whopping 98% of adults strongly believe that crisps make their sandwiches better.
Philippa Pennington at Walkers said: “Last year the residents of Sandwich voted “Crisp In” as the winning combination, but this year we’re widening the debate to showcase the wide range of crisp and sandwich combinations – from classic Walkers crisps through to Wotsits and Monster Munch.
“With Walkers Sandwich Shops located across the UK, we’re calling on people to head to their nearest shop, taste the sandwiches and have their say online by sharing their favourite combination from the menu, or favourite crisps to enjoy in a sandwich.”
Emily Sergeant -
30th March 2022 
