WASN'T that rich -- the claim that Blackburn with Darwen's eight Liberal-Democrat councillors who handed back the recent rise in their allowances were 'just electioneering'?

Who gives a monkey's if they are? At least we have some councillors pandering to the voters for a change. And what if do they reap a dividend at the ballot box for assuming that council tax payers might be jarred off at their representatives pocketing a 3.5 per cent pay rise just a year after they got an increase of almost three times as much while householders' bills from the town hall have shot up by nearly 10 per cent?

And I know what people will say and think of the 'just electioneering' jibe at the Lib-Dems by Tory leader Colin Rigby whose group voted for the increase along with Labour.

I know, too, what they will make of the snide comment of council leader, don't-call-me-'Sir' (and I won't) Bill Taylor... "I have always felt that performance-related pay was the best way and the Lib-Dems are obviously feeling the need to give back as a result."

And his further comments would be amusing if they did not insultingly seek to suggest that these increases are beyond councillors' control. To wit: "Our allowances are determined by an independent panel. We have nothing to do with it, other than accepting their recommendations..." (my italics).

Councillors' allowances are now knocking on for £500,000 annually, on top of which they get perks such as free computers, mobile phones, secretarial services and even the newspapers digested for them by town hall officials -- and all but eight or Blackburn with Darwen's 62 members are semi-powerless.

If just a few of them consider that this set up deserves to be better related to value-for-money and what householders have to fork out, then I'll vote for it.