DO you think you have a right to know what's going on in your local council? Of course you do, and I couldn't agree more. It's what living in a democracy means, writes Richard Butt.

You should be allowed to see what's happening so that you can make informed choices before you vote.

Unfortunately, not everyone can go to every council meeting. Not everybody spends time leafing through documents or asking politicians questions. That's our job.

I'm afraid I'm going to sound a bit pompous now, but journalists are the eyes and ears of the public. Ironically, the press has had a bad press. We're liked less than estate agents and traffic wardens.

But if you think about it, almost all the information you receive about what's going on in the world comes either directly or indirectly from journalists. Who told you about the September 11 attacks? How did you know that Hale Barns residents were against a new shopping development?

Somewhere a journalist was probably involved. If you didn't read it in a paper, see it on the TV or hear it on the radio, someone who did one of those things probably told you.

Now, talking about the Hale Barns development, there was a planning meeting about it last week, which eventually threw out a scheme for flats, a supermarket and some other shops.

It was a public meeting. When I say "public", I use the word loosely, because Trafford Council wouldn't let Channel M News in to film.

So what, you might think? But let me quote you something from the council website: "Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council is committed to the freedom of information, in promoting a shared understanding of the work we undertake within the council, and with our partners."

The reality is, of course, completely the opposite. If people from the council - or anyone in officialdom - can find a way of stopping the public from getting an understanding of the way they work, they'll do it.

There's no reason in law why television cameras could not go into that meeting. There's no reason in practical terms, either. Our cameras are small enough to be mounted on a shoulder, they don't need extra lights and they are quite unobtrusive.

My colleague Suzanne Beeley did a fine job in reporting the story without those pictures, which is difficult for a medium such as television.

That's because of her skill and despite the efforts of those enemies of openness to thwart her. Public bodies employ armies of public relations people these days. Some are very good and helpful, but others are not. Their job is to protect the people we elect from proper scrutiny.

A couple of months ago, I reported on the growth of gates on alleys. I asked a councillor - an elected politician - how these gates could cost £10,000 for just one alley.

It was a reasonable question. It was public money and some brand new Ford Fiestas cost nearly £2,000 less.

But the PR woman for "Bolton at Home" - an arm's length public housing company - moaned that it was a hostile question and she hadn't been told it was going to be that sort of story.

And you're paying extra tax to create this sort of job.

The councillor didn't really know why they cost so much, by the way.

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