More publicity

I was interviewed in Preston Park this morning for the Look North local news programme on BBC TV. It was a very interesting if freezing cold experience. The plan was to have a brief slot at lunch time and then a longer one in the evening giving the opposing views. However, the IBIS councillor said he hadn't got the message so he didn't arrive. That gave me an opportunity to see a professional news cameraman at work uninterrupted (good for me, very interesting) but also meant that the reporter was only able to produce one side of the story on interview (bad for democracy). In the end the lunch time slot was used but not the evening one. Half an hour of filming ditched. I felt more for the reporter than anyone - he was an enthusiastic craftsman and probably doesn't get many opportunities to record that big a story.
In the evening I went as a ward councillor to the monthly meeting of Preston-on-Tees Parish Council. There was a bit of discussion of the school issue but as everyone there was against the whole idea it didn't need much discussion once they'd decided who would attend the cabinet meeting on Thursday on their behalf.
I must say it was a very different kind of meeting to that I'm used to at Egglescliffe & Eaglescliffe council. A lot less discussion and a lot more agreeing with the Chairman. Now that they don't have responsibility for the allotments they don't have to spend any time debating what to do with them.