AFTER councillors at Hyndburn unanimously voted themselves massive pay increases - which for top wallahs could mean rises of more than 500 per cent - council leader Peter Britcliffe qualifies the figures in his case.

His rise will be nowhere near this - more like 43 per cent, he says. Well, there's a mercy - only some 20 times greater than the rate of inflation, then.

But if his town hall colleagues are unhappy with their new salaries then, says Coun Britcliffe, they can forego them, though he won't be doing himself.

Pigs might fly! Yet, if Coun Britcliffe knows darned well that not one of member of the council voted against these rises, is not his suggestion that they might be foregone not just an added insult to council taxpayers would might think themselves lucky if they got a pay rise this year of four point three per cent, let alone a supposedly restrained one of 'only' 43 per cent?