Sting in tail after council meeting turned nasty

A PARISH council meeting about beehives had a sting in the tail after it turned ugly and police were called.

Kingshurst Parish Council was discussing a nearby community garden when a member of the public became “abusive and disruptive”.

The council’s vice chair was forced to call 999 and bring proceedings to a halt for almost an hour.

Jubilee Gardens on Kingshurst allotments has become embroiled in a squabble over its 20,000-strong bee colony.

Some locals fear swarms, stings and anaphylaxis. But those involved in the project insist proper procedures have been followed and question why the matter was being brought up.

It was this stalemate that spawned last week’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) and it wasn’t long before it descended into farce.

Vice-chair David Cole stopped the meeting twice and asked a member of the public to stop talking over councillors.

Another councillor present, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed the discussion was paused after a member of the public was “abusive and disruptive”.

A separate councillor, who also wanted to remain anonymous so they could speak freely, expressed their dismay at the “absurd” meeting.

“It was just utterly ridiculous,” they said. “I can’t get my head around the level of aggression.”

The meeting was reported to democracy chiefs at Solihull Council after one councillor took exception to the language used.

Cllr Cole added that, despite making the police phone call, the meeting was a success.

He said there would now be a committee that reports Jubilee Gardens activities to Kingshurst Parish Council in the hope this will satisfy councillors.

“It’s like a football match,” Cllr

Cole added. “The person got two yellow cards and was out. These are important discussions that affect a lot of people.”

Cllr Cole said the member of the public was later allowed back into the meeting after “the police had a word with them”.

In September, Cllr Sheila Daly left members stunned by suggesting desperate Afghan refugees flown to Birmingham Airport after fleeing the Taliban would soon be “blowing us up”.

At the next meeting, she was challenged by furious councillors who demanded she resign following the comments.