Buffetgate and democracy in action

It was a fun-filled week in the wacky world of Peterborough politics. We had Buffetgate at the town hall, the new chief executive at the Combined Authority opened his mouth (not for a canape) and put his foot in it, and even-tempered MP Shailesh Vara got mad.

Let’s start with Buffetgate which was the revelation city councillors were scoffing food and quaffing wine after meetings, all paid for by me and you, the taxpayer.

The total annual bill to refresh our hungry and thirsty councillors comes to £4,500 which some might say is but a drop of Cabernet in the Fletton Quays. Maybe so, but a donation to a food bank instead might have earned them the moral high ground.

But, hey, when you’re so hungry you could eat your own trotters what use is the moral high ground?

Martin Whiteley, the first chief executive of the new Combined Authority of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, should never have to go hungry given he is being paid a whopping £150,000 a year.

Now, like me, you might have been under the impresson this authority had been foisted on us by central government but according to Mr Whiteley “local people voted for devolution’’.

That’s what he said in his first press release since being appointed to his new role. It turns out he didn’t mean it, which was just as well as the statement simply wasn’t true.

Still at least he didn’t upset Shailesh Vara.

That honour goes to the boss of Highways England Jim O’Sullivan who heads the organisation responsible for the pathetic planning and publicity around the A1 roadworks that brought gridlock to Peterborough.

Mr Vara wrote to Mr O’Sullivan to complain about the chaos caused by the roadworks. But not only did Jim fail to fix it, he didn’t even respond.

MPs, even mild-mannered ones, don’t like being ignored, especially by civil servants.

The upshot was harsh words in Parliament and finally there followed a humiliating U-turn and grovelling apology from Highways England.

Mr O’Sullivan probably doesn’t realise it, but he got off lightly –Mr Vara is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.