Inquiry Launched After Council Worker Filmed Shouting at Resident
One minute video posted on TikTok went viral
Council worker berates resident for being at the wrong desk
Merton Council has launched an internal investigation in response to a viral video that appears to show a council worker shouting at a resident.
But the council says the video, first posted to TikTok on Monday (2 August ), does not show the full story. It claims the member of staff was subjected to “sustained verbal abuse” before the recording started.
The one-minute clip has been watched more than 200,000 times and the council worker is seen saying “you’re not understanding, how many times have I told you”.
While the man behind the camera says: “Why are you shouting? Lower your voice.”
The video ends with the staff member telling the man to “shut up” and “shush”.
The council worker at the civic centre tells the man filming that he does not work for housing benefit and tells him to call or “read the letter” that he pushes back across the counter.
Merton Council is now investigation exactly what happened.
Just seen this video of @Merton_Council staff member shouting at a member of the public. Merton Council is this acceptable behaviour? pic.twitter.com/DGDbqCgL1L
— Billz (@UKBillz) August 2, 2021
A spokesperson for the authority said, “This was a regrettable incident for all involved. However, the footage on TikTok does only show part of a longer conversation.
“The film doesn’t show that the member of staff was subjected to sustained verbal abuse prior to the start of recording, nor that a manager quickly became involved and helped to resolve the issue to the customer’s full satisfaction.
“We of course expect the highest standards from our staff when talking to customers.
“We have launched an internal investigation into exactly what happened, and will take any necessary steps to ensure that it does not happen again.”
Tara O'Connor, Local Democracy Reporter
August 9, 2021