“Call The Council”

What on earth are our supposed ‘enlightened councillors’ thinking?

Not content with aiding and abetting with the BBC in portraying our borough as the rodent ridden capital of the North, they have actually agreed to grant the film makers the right to film a second and third series, with assurances that the programmes would follow the same format as Series 1 and would follow the same style and be written for a similar audience.

Instead of this faked, cynically manipulated, artificial and incredibly inconsequential vacuous rubbish, one would have thought that given a unique opportunity to show off their borough in its best possible light; and in an effort to ‘use every tool available to stimulate economic growth’ Kieran and his crew would have put their minds together and directed the programmers away from this extreme example of falling standards and pointed it toward some of the more positive aspects that Tameside has to offer.

In his July Blog, our ‘forward looking’ Leader claimed, “We will be throwing the spotlight on some of the successful businesses in the area!” Really? Then why have you and the rest of those responsible for encouraging new investment and growth, allowed this portrayal of our once proud traditional market towns to be aired in such a dismal manner? - It’s a complete PR disaster!

With the arrival of the Metro which, we were told would bring more visitors to the town, what exactly does the council think they will be flocking into the town to see? Giant Rats and Cockroaches? Stray dogs causing havoc - Will they be ferried around in potentially lethal taxis to eat at vermin infected restaurants and take-a-way’s whilst being shat-on from above by flocks of feral pigeons?

Fortunately, the majority of our towns independent businesses do not rely on the mass influx of tourists, but still, they can't be too happy with the way they've been portrayed in these shows as engaged in theatres of war between purveyors of fake goods and trading standards officers. And pity the residents who maybe in the process of selling their house on an estate that can’t get their dustbins emptied because ‘the council’ are trailing another ‘pilot scheme’ or because of the raw meat hanging on a neighbour's washing line.

One thing that has not gone un-noticed is the total absence of the large contingent of regular performers like Cllr Taylor, and others who regularly grace the pages our local press.

It makes one wonder why the regular bunch of publicity seekers prefer to keep a low profile, when the BBC cameras roll in the town!

Perhaps they’re holding themselves in readiness for what promises to follow next? -“I’m A Councillor, Get Me Out Of Here”. A fly on the wall series showing a group of talentless, dogmatic, relics who have had their day and should just retire.