Eccentric Conservative councillors are a vital source of silly season copy for any hack, evidently something not lost on the BBC Sunday Politics team this week. Worth noting that they are spending licence fee payers’ cash on a ComRes poll of Tory councillors which even the staunchest Beeb defender would concede are designed to embarrass the party. The questions include:

• asking if they think “climate change is not happening”
• whether “Immigration has had a negative impact on Britain”
• whether “legalising gay marriage will cost my party more votes than it gains at the next Election”
• whether they support a ban on the burkha
• whether Cameron and Osborne are “arrogant”
• whether they support an electoral pact with UKIP

Of course those taking part in the poll have every opportunity to answer otherwise, nonetheless it is certainly an interesting choice of question topics from the BBC. No doubt they will also be asking Labour councillors specifically-designed awkward questions in the name of impartiality…

UPDATE: A Labour councillor gets in touch to tell Guido his party’s questions are on approval of Miliband and Balls and union links.