British newsmaker, a local government officer from Cheshire, who became an instant internet personality after a council Zoom meeting went viral.
Following a bureaucratic dispute at the Handforth Parish Council Planning and Environment Committee, she was brought in as chief officer of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC), to moderate and provide guidance on the running of the council. The meeting was held on 10 December 2020 at 7:30 PM in Handforth.
Weaver is recorded as clerk to the meeting in the official minutes, but is not the official clerk of Handforth Parish Council. For this reason, council chairman Brian Tolver refused to accept the legality or legitimacy of the meeting, called by two other councillors, as no proper officer was present, saying that she had “no authority here”, sentiments echoed by vice chair Aled Brewerton. (Weaver said there was no need for a proper officer to be involved while she was acting as clerk.) This led to Tolver being moved from the meeting into a virtual waiting room. In response to Weaver initiating a vote for a proxy chair in Tolver’s absence, Brewerton angrily insisted that he should assume control as vice chair. Brewerton was consequently removed from the conference by Weaver, along with councillor Barry Burkhill. Councillor John Smith was nominated as proxy chair, and allowed a vote to confirm the removals.
The Zoom meeting went viral, because most parish council meetings have a reputation for being sedate and well-mannered. The event spawned memes, merchandise, and international media coverage. It was described as “like an absurdist British play” by The Washington Post, who noted that Weaver “was hailed for her fortitude and stoicism — two revered British traits”. After gaining online traction on the evening of 4 February 2021, Weaver’s name was the highest trending topic on Twitter in the United Kingdom that night and the following day.
Link to Wikipedia biography