Ian Hislop

Yes, I'm just mentioning it in terms of being elected to local government.

Is that necessarily a bad thing?

I mean, overall control hasn't been great in Birmingham, has it?

Is it possible to resolve that dispute by anyone?

I'm just asking.

A number of our letter writers make this point, but a handout from the government to local council is not a handout.

It's taxpayers' money being spent in different ways.

underfunds councils, which is a criticism, then councils borrow from them.

They're not exactly begging, are they?

They're trying to find a restitution of some balance between the two types of taxpayers.

And a lot of the problems that your column exposes are councils think we haven't got any money.

Here's an idea, usually involving outsourcing something or investing in some traditionally council activity that we go in with the private sector and it all goes wrong.

And they claim this is desperation, that they have to do this.

Obviously, we're not buying that because we write about it.

But that's pressure from having no other sources of income, presumably.

Yes, that's right.

Apart from raising the council tax.

It was on the wireless.

Was it their gold reserves?

But are they going to get in again?