OPINION: Don't you just love them.

I’m convinced Councillors and the people that work for local government are a special breed. Born that way, their particular brand of stupidity and thick skinned arrogance is inherited, and traits like common sense and finer feelings disappeared from their genetic make up way back in the mists of time.

I’m on record for objecting about being ignored even at election time by the Councillors in our neck of the woods, and was unhappy about tax payers money being used to give them unlimited, fast speed internet access in their homes to ‘keep them in the loop’. It makes me grind my teeth that they won’t even acknowledge receiving the email when you contact them via their individual mail slot on the council’s award winning web site.

I’ve also made my voice heard when wondering which numpty decides on the location of litter bins, and am hated by a couple of Council departments for my outspoken views on bad working practices for their blue collar workers. And haven't we all all gritted our teeth when they've increased their own allowances while essential services are cut to the bone.

There are days I wonder why I bother, but then every month I see a large chunk of my money disappearing from my bank account and going into the Council’s coffers.
To be fair, local services aren’t totally bad given the pace of life today. I’m sensible enough to realise that to have my bins emptied, schools, police and fire brigade kept up, parks tidy and a myriad of other local services on tap, costs money.

No, it’s the faceless twits who come up with brainless, money wasting ideas and, in the case of my Council, keep the fat cat ‘I’m all right Jack’ mentality alive and kicking, that I object to.
You will imagine my delight then, when on Friday I bought the local paper for a nearby town and found the front page gleefully catching its local council with their pants well and truly lowered.

It was about a Leave Your Car at Home Day organised by the Council. The town has a good local transport system via trains and buses along with park and ride facilities. It was to be a day where – hopefully - if locals used buses and trains they might like it enough to ease some of the congestion on the towns badly clogged roads for the other 364 days of the year. Not forgetting how it would help the environment at the same time of course.

Naturally the local paper had enthusiastically taken up the banner with editorial staff relating their adventures on the way to work by unfamiliar routes.
It was all good clean fun, but unknown to the council the paper took a photo of one of their car parks a day or so before the special day, and then sneaked back and took a comparison photo of the same car park on the Leave Your Car at Home Day.

You don’t need to read any further to know what happened, but for those who are suckers for a punch line, the council’s car park was just as full.
Of course there were hurried denials that, that particular parking area was used by members of social services and the like and they needed to be mobile at a moments notice etc., etc. Oh my!
Bowled for a duck I’d say.