Christmas, or is it Christingle, is coming early at Lambeth Council. Our Labour bosses are awarding themselves big pay rises in an inflation-busting package valued at more than one million pounds with cabinet member allowances rising from GB pounds 15,000 a year to GB pounds 26,816, plus a basic allowance of GB pounds 9,964 instead of GB pounds 8,000 now. Next year, our pensioners and our poor people on benefits will get just a 3.6 per cent. Our dear Leader will take home GB pounds 38,193, plus the basic, compared to GB pounds 25,000 now. Sure beats working for a living.

In the meantime, the tin men without any hearts who I told you about last week, dear readers, show little remorse. In a reply dated October 18 about Constance being taken to court not a word is said about the threat of legal proceedings against this 93-year-old woman who was taken to hospital anyway. Instead the writer says, "due to an oversight by the council [not by any person] her Council Tax Benefit was not reinstated from [the date of her husband's death]... Please convey my sincerest apologies to [Constance] for this oversight." Presumably, tin men are unable to write letters of apology themselves, but instead want elected councillors to take the blame. The letter goes onto make some other justifications, which have already been rebutted - watch this space. As far as the court officials are concerned well, be assured, they do have hearts. As a result of my representations, the summons has been stopped - the tin men have been thwarted.

And another thing that worries me. Community safety, an oxymoron if ever there was one, is an industry and Lambeth Council plays a major role in it. That's why the guardians of our streets were out last week issuing fixed penalties to cyclists cutting through from opposite the Tube Station to Blue Star House, avoiding death corner by the Brixton Academy. Only 100 metres away drug dealers were happily plying their trade at the bus stop by Iceland. It's good to think that our masters have the right sense of priorities. Perhaps they just can't wait for their Christmas/Christingle pay bonanza, which is, of course, pensionable.

You only have to go away for a week on a work assignment to recognise the 'holier than thou' approach our Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood habitually takes. She writes in the local newspaper advising one of our Conservative councillors to spend more time in his ward - it may surprise her to know that he lives in his ward whereas she has never lived in her constituency since her election in 1992.

Finally, as the Islamic festival of Eid starts on Tuesday October 24, on behalf of all our elected councillors can I wish Muslim readers 'Eid Mubarak' and look forward to being of service to them and our whole community whenever called upon to do so. Our helpline on the home page is now set up in Polish and Portuguese, and Arabic will follow soon.

Labels: Allowances, Community safety, Council tax benefit, Eid