LOCAL councillor, Phil Alford, made his TV debut this month on BBC2’s Newsnight.
Broadcast on Friday 8th July, the local councillor – who sits on both Melksham Town Council and Wiltshire Council – was invited onto the current affairs show in his role as a Conservative Party member to discuss recent events in politics, including the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Alongside two other party members, Phil was interviewed by BBC reporter, David Grossman.
Phil told Melksham News, “The Newsnight team contacted the office of local MP Michelle Donelan looking for local members to talk to and they suggested me and two others. So on Friday (8th July) we were invited to meet with David Grossman for a conversation. We gathered in the garden and discussed a whole range of issues such as party values, our thoughts on the next leader, trust in politics, our priorities and the current state of affairs generally.
“Despite the excitement of the cameras, lights and crew, it was surprisingly easy, he readily put us at ease and seemed genuinely interested in our views.
“It’s funny really, as a local councillor you would have thought that I spend every day talking about my own views, but in reality I spend the majority of my time listening, so being asked for my thoughts was quite unusual.
“The whole thing was a really enjoyable experience and I think it came across well in the final edit. David and the crew were very professional and sincere throughout and it was a great experience, so if anyone does get the opportunity to do something similar I would definitely encourage it.”
