THEY have, of course, got to start somewhere, but isn't it a pity that the first of Blackburn with Darwen's town hall sections to be assessed for new hotel-style star ratings for its service is the obscure policy department, of which few will have heard, let alone know what it does?

Much more relevant to most people, I think, would have been an appraisal of a department with a direct role in serving the public - such as the one responsible for (not) gritting the ice and snow-covered town-centre pavements on which taxpayers were slithering so recently.

Then, perhaps, we would have found out whether these ratings, like the winter temperatures and weather conditions forecast well in advance, can fall to minus levels.

Still, from the first-to-be-assessed policy department, which, among other things, is responsible for public relations, we have had a five-star performance over this when it comes to the issuing of silly excuses.

When a 79-year-old pensioner fell and broke his arm in an iced-over, ungritted town-centre subway, the explanation was that it wasn't gritted because it was not expected to be a problem, but once someone had an accident, it would be gritted if the council was told about it!

They aim to please!