WATCH: Chairman tries to ‘shut up’ mum in meeting

The chair of a Herefordshire council meeting appeared to be trying to get a local mum to “shut up” as she was putting her concerns about children’s services in the county.

In an at times testy exchange with Coun Sebastian Bowen, Hannah Currie was asking two supplementary questions in person at a full council meeting on December 9.

She had complained that an answer to her prior written question, regarding what she called the “toxic culture prevalent in the department”, had been inadequate.

She claimed at the meeting that the department’s recent campaign to recruit permanent social workers was simply a “repacking of the disastrous project to recruit Romanian social workers” seven years ago.

At this point Coun Bowen said: “You have a minute. Can you please put your question as soon as possible?”

Ms Currie then claimed that social workers from overseas had resorted to using Google Translate to communicate with parents.

“Put your question please, or we will stop you,” Coun Bowen can then be heard saying.

“It’s a long question, Sebastian, and I’d be over a lot quicker if you didn’t interrupt me,” Mr Currie replied, to some applause.

“I will be the meeting’s chairman, not yourself, thank you. Please be brief,” he said.

Ms Currie then said: “Please confirm how many agency workers in the children’s services directorate left or had their contracts terminated since 2021, and how many issues have been referred to Social Work England.”

“Can you please put your question,” Coun Bowen said, then in response to shouts of “she has”.

He then added: “Well, it’s very hard to distinguish a question from anything else.”

Following a response from cabinet member for children’s services Coun Diana Toynbee, Ms Currie attempted to put a further supplementary question on behalf of fellow parent Rachel Gallagher, regarding courses which the council required expectant mothers to attend.

After around a minute, Coun Bowen again asked: “Will you please put your question?”

“I’m getting there,” Ms Currie said.

“Well please hurry up and get there,” Coun Bowen replied.

As Ms Currie continued, Coun Bowen can be heard asking a colleague off-mic: “…we shut her up?”

Coun Bowen had earlier told the meeting: “A supplementary question must be a question and not a statement, arise directly out of the original question or the reply, and must take no longer than a minute to ask.

“If the question is likely to take more than one minute, or takes the form of a statement, the questioner will be requested to put the question immediately.”

Ms Currie later raised the matter at a meeting of the council’s cabinet on December 16, saying: “In my experience, few in the cabinet understand how Herefordshire Council are unintentionally discriminatory or intimidating.”

She claimed the chairman’s behaviour at the previous meeting had been “unreasonable”, adding: “If you can publicly behave in this manner as a chairman, who was recorded saying ‘shut her up’ to a traumatised female in public, then what happens behind closed doors?”

Coun Toynbee said: : “I have absolutely zero tolerance for anything like that, I know the leaders we have do as well, and we will come down really hard on any disrespectful language.”

Council leader David Hitchiner told Ms Currie: “If the constitution isn’t clear, that’s something we need to look at. It does seen unfair that someone can submit a long written question whereas a person who turns up is (time-limited).

“It’s much better to have members of the public coming in and talking.”

Coun Bowen said afterward the meeting: “The council’s constitution has rules about how we conduct meetings that we try to adhere to, and speakers are warned beforehand how long they have.

“The speaker on this occasion had already been given a lot of leeway, and we have to give every speaker a chance to speak and not let one hog the debate entirely.

“If I have offended anyone, I will apologise profusely.”

He confirmed he had not been contacted by the council or by Coun Toynbee over the matter.

Ms Currie is inviting families affected by Herefordshire children’s services to a “stomp” around Queenswood Country Park, on Thursday, December 29, from 1pm in the car park.