...to let them know how best to demolish Council Tax Benefit.

NCC is well known for its tireless efforts to evoke community spirit in all of us.

The Councillors, ever eager to squabble with Pickles about whether or not they need to publish how they spend their budget, have time and again demonstrated that they are more than willing to relax and do nothing against government cuts.

Instead they are ever dutifully dedicated to enforcing them in our communities. However, that should astonish no one. The Labour Party, as well as the institution of local government in general (or any form of government for that matter), continue to live up to their long and proud tradition of screwing over those they 'represent'.

So it was little surprise to open today's mail and find a letter announcing yet another vital benefit being cut (this time indirectly) by the central government and NCC seeing no option but to implement it. In short the responsibility for Council Tax benefit is delegated to local authorities who will have to decide how to pick up the bill. It seems probable that the announced local shortfall of £6million will be dealt with by the usual mix of getting rid of more workers, worsening the conditions of the remaining ones, cutting more vital services and tightening the rules for Council Tax Benefit even further, thereby excluding as large a proportion as possible of those currently in receipt of this crucial support.

To give feedback on the latter part of the mix, NCC invites us to partake in a vital part of our wonderful representative democracy: getting all the little piggies to choose which ones shall be treated to the butcher's knife first (How about that one hanging out in the sunshine? Yeah, that one looks like it's up to no good!). And in a few years all the little piggies can come together again to decide the colour of the butcher's apron.

Whereas all this is nothing new, this letter is a good example of NCC's take on implementing austerity: Moaning about central government being the real meanies, pretending to care about its subjects and inviting them to help decide who still deserves support and who can get lost.

All this will make the Council happy as they can share the blame and makes me feel included and appreciated.

Good to know we are all in this together.