THE postponement of Wisbech Town Toilets Working Party’s first meeting, Cambs County Council leader’s stance on prayers before meetings and romantic breaks for three are all discussed by our diarist this week.

AMIDST all the hoo-ha about Roddons, its MD and its new assistant director (oh, please do keep up... or click the Related Links on this page) emerges this quaint photographic offering by our resident snapper Brian Purdy.

The photograph of former March mayor and new �75,000-a-year MD Debby Bunn was taken earlier this month when he popped into their offices, by appointment, at Hostmoor Avenue.

Only later did he realise that keeping a watching eye over proceedings was former police Chief Supt Mick Gipp – it’s him looking out of the window – who was there, as it turned out, being interviewed for Debby’s old �52,000-a-year pop as assistant director.

Handsome pay, indeed, for Mr Gipp on top of his police pension.

But Roddons reassures me he’s by far the best man for the job, so fair cop, then.

THE increasingly irritating independent councillor for Manea, Mark Archer, wonders if he needs to consult m’learned friends in the wake of some injudicious letter sent to my good self.

“Enlighten me please before we go any further,” chirps Cllr Archer who, as you will recall, is no longer enjoying a bromance with fellow independent councillor Rob Skoulding, who has rejected his political advances and dissolved their loose-fitting political ‘alliance’.

As for the letter, that’s still undergoing rigorous DNA, just to be on the safe side.

NO fear of Cambridgeshire County Council amending any time soon its policy of prefacing meetings with prayers.

“Given all the difficulties this country faces having judges’ time tied up with wrangles over whether it is legal for a council to hold prayers seems daft,” says council leader Nick Clarke.

“If anyone is offended by prayers, they don’t have to listen or could leave the chamber. The solemnity of prayers and the sensible guidance is a great grounding and start to proceedings. We lose such traditions at our peril.”

So the High Court ruling that a town council in Devon must stop prayers because of objections is unlikely to have much impact locally.

Not that I disapprove of prayers. Come to think of it, the introduction of prayers into some other local council chambers might well lessen the rancour and have an efficacious effect.

NOT that I planned, in any way, to be rushing to Wisbech for an inaugural meeting, but I do feel a tad disappointed at its postponement.

I refer to the Wisbech Town Toilets Working Party, which had due to convene on Monday at the town council chamber, but was postponed in the light of exciting new developments.

Town and county councillor, petition organiser and general pro-toilet enthusiast Samantha Hoy confirms the meeting was “postponed as Fenland Council need to ‘have some further discussions’.”

Those inclined to recall these things will know the pro-toilets lobby wants to keep more of them than Fenland District Council wants to pay for ... but if a compromise has been reached then jolly well done to all concerned.

Flushed with success, you may move to your next assignment.

GOOD to see Paul Medd, chief executive of Fenland District Council, restoring the tradition of top dog dining at the mayor’s table.

Paul graced the mayor’s ball in March on Friday, an occasion I recall not often – if ever - attended by previous chief executive Tim Pilsbury.

I’m not even sure the shortlived chief executive Sandra Claxton went either, but she radiated such consistently blissful warmth I would never countenance criticism of any kind.

There was some minor mumblings over of the style, content and delivery of Paul’s speech, but as I have always discovered the Braza serves generously-priced Sauvignon Blanc that anaesthetises the most distressing of post-dinner ramblings.

A CORRESPONDENT writes to tell me of “a small article about spelling in one of your papers quite a long time ago.

“It said that provided the first and last letters were right you could read whatever the rubbish was in the middle – and gave examples.

“To my very great regret I failed to make a note of it and now would like to quote it in an English course I am attending.

“I wonder if your search engine can locate it for me please”.

Deciding the correspondent was bonkers I ignored it for some days until he wrote again and said he had found the piece and was now delightfully happy.

Correspondence, as they say, is now closed.

FROM the ‘You Couldn’t Make Up Cos It’s True’ section comes a new website offering romantic breaks for three.

The sponsors gush that “the short break with a twist is open to all; whether that be for fans of free love, those in polygamous relationships or just for couples with a third, tag-along member in their relationship”.

The Romantic Break for Three costs �399, which is probably not bad when you think of it a three-way split.