I`m finding it difficult to curb my enthusiasm but there is an upcoming election hereabouts due to the resignation of a local councillor from whom we never heard anything.  The usual suspects are being dusted off and presented to the electorate in all their finery via leaflets and campaigning on the local village F***book page. I`ve even had one banging on my door this morning, such is their apparent desperation.

They are vying for a seat on the local Borough Council and the mere fact that one gets elected to the vacancy immediately means that the successful candidate is entitled to a minimum allowance of at least £5,000 a year plus `expenses` just for turning up.   There are as many as 54 Borough councillors so the annual bill for the council taxpayers is pretty hefty and it gets even bigger when councillors become chairpeople or vicechairpeople of the myriad committees, for which they receive increased `allowances` - the self styled `leader of the council` gets £20,000 a year minimum so questions surrounding value for money become relevant.

Anyway, I`ve had a look at the candidates and they all represent either Conservative, Liberal Democratic, Green or Labour - all very predictable.   Trouble is, the Conservatives already have a stonking majority and so even if you aren`t an aficionado of theirs and you feel inclined to vote for someone else it`s not going to make any difference to the way the council behaves.  Around here Conservative votes tend to be weighed rather than counted.

So it`s all a bit pointless, to be fair.  Could even be a case of `None of the Above.`  I`m thinking about it.