COUNCILS get it in the neck for lots of things. Being unimaginative and set in their ways is a common charge.

So, it’s a bit galling when they do something different, innovative, off-the-wall even, and get slammed for that as well.

Some you lose and some, well you lose them too, I thought when I saw that The Beacon, at Redcar – otherwise known as the vertical pier – was up for a worst building award in some design magazine.

I’m a positive, optimistic person – not bad when you consider the jobs I’ve done. So I’m not keen on stunts like this. You should celebrate and publicise success, whether it’s in design, arts, or sport. That way people see excellence being rewarded and try to do better themselves.

Pillorying people for failure does no good.

If you want to see the corrosive effect of that attitude, just switch on the TV and watch a few minutes of the licensed cruelty that masquerades as entertainment in countless reality shows and docu-dramas.

I was interested in reading some of the public reaction to The Beacon’s nomination.

Most said they liked the building. Now that might be a bit of defensive local pride kicking in or, perhaps, people have overcome initial scepticism and been won over.

They say that when the Eiffel Tower went up, Parisians were ready to riot. Now their skyline and tourism trade would be unthinkable without it. We’re creatures of habit and resist change. But the odd jolt to the system, the occasional challenge doesn’t do us any harm.

There are a few buildings none of us would fault; where a combination of architectural splendour and location – think Durham Cathedral – provide a marvellous experience.

But after that, you pay your money and take your choice. I know some people who rhapsodise over thatched cottages or mock- Tudor semis. For others, plate glass and concrete do the trick. Neither side is wrong – it’s a matter of taste.

In Middlesbrough, yards away from each other, we have two buildings which couldn’t be more different: the 19th century Gothic Town Hall and the 21st Century, unashamedly modern art gallery, mima.

Again, I know people who rave about one and loathe the other. Some like both and some hate them both, because some people are angry about everything.

What is important to me is not just how they look, but what they say. mima will always be a statement about Middlesbrough’s pride and hopes.

It was a town telling a cynical world that just loved to give it a kicking that it wasn’t prepared to stand for the stereotypes and half-truths any more.

It was a town with a future, which is why it is staying open even in times as tough as these. Because we’re not going back to the days of second best.

The Town Hall has an equally important message. It was built to last. The people who commissioned it and constructed it knew that, when they were long gone, there would be a town that needed a centre of government, a symbol of unity – somewhere you could set your community’s compass by.

Again that is why we are bidding for Heritage Lottery funds to ensure the Town Hall is good for another 100 years at least.

So please don’t just look at a building when making a judgement. Think for a moment what story the bricks and mortar, the steel and concrete, tell you. It will be amazing what you learn.