A couple of gems from Labour councillors at last night's Cabinet meeting.

First up, Cllr Stuart Collins, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, made it clear that he was opposed to any measures to deliver better value for money for Council Taxpayers if they involved a reduction in the number of people the Council employs ("We don't mind efficiencies but not job cuts"). Now of course none of us want to see Council officers or anyone else lose their jobs, particularly in the current economic climate, but ultimately the Council has a duty to Council Taxpayers to deliver its services as efficiently as possible. If modern technology or new ways of working mean that the same service can be provided with fewer staff then that's what we should do. Is it any wonder that Council Tax went through the roof when people like Cllr Collins were running the show?

But he was outdone by his colleague Cllr Jane Avis, the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Croydon South, who - without a trace of irony - declared "I believe that history will comment on the handling of the economy over this period in a very good light indeed".