IF you want something doing, they say, ask a busy person.That's why, in many villages, those who stand for the parish council are those who belong to the sports club or the WI, sit on the village hall committee, run the playgroup and generally help community life to roll along.

That's also why the Government's new, strict ruling that parish councillors must register all their interests came up against the law of unforeseen outcomes in Worsall, near Yarm, recently.

Of the six parish council members, three had to declare an interest in the matter under discussion. Result: no quorum, so no progress. It's not an unusual situation in this small council, say members.

Over the desk of every politician and bureaucrat should be written, in large, red capital letters: "THINK IT THROUGH FIRST".

Late notice

TRAVELLERS on the 9.30 GNER service from Darlington to King's Cross on Easter Monday morning were stowing their luggage and finding their seats when the train loudspeaker tried to surmount the bustle with an announcement about certain tickets being ineligible on that particular train.

Apart from not being very clear about only full singles being eligible (it turned out that full returns were, too), the automatic doors were on the point of closing so passengers (sorry, customers) who realised they had the wrong ticket and would have to pay a surcharge were too late to jump off.

Maybe buyers of the wrong ticket had already been advised in the travel centre but surely an on-platform announcement would have been more sensible - unless, of course, upgrade fees for the unwary are a ploy by today's hard-pressed rail companies.

Dirty stopouts

OOH, the dirty stopouts - and that's just the five-year-olds.

A fun night of dance, music and drama is promised for "age five to adults" at Hawes next week but it doesn't start until 7pm.

Old-fashioned Mrs Spectator thinks all five-year-olds should at least be in their pyjamas and having a bedtime story by that time. On her reckoning, they won't be in bed until at least 9.30 - and she doesn't envy the mums trying to raise the comatose to face school the following morning.

Converted

Apologies to Darlington's council leader John Williams. Last week's note not only credited Coun Williams with unusual powers to see into the future but brought about a miraculous political conversion. Coun Williams is, of course, the council's Labour leader. As the i of Lib is nowhere near the a of Lab on the qwerty keyboard, Spectator can't plead hamfistedness.

Something to do with all politicians sounding the same these days, perhaps