WITH Worcester City Council's elections looming, the pressure on all our political parties is currently cranked up to breaking point and boy can you tell.

Green Councillor Neil Laurenson took part in the Worcester half marathon event on Sunday in a bid to raise cash for St Richard's Hospice Foundation, a laudable aim if ever there was one.

With the Green Party's prospects probably weighing on his mind, the pint-sized politician farcically went the wrong way at the end of the race, and instead of crossing the finishing line like everybody else ended up careering through a car park.

It's a good job he doesn't do this much flip-flopping in the council chamber.

* TALKING of Cllr Laurenson, he got lucky recently after winning a 'name the Easter bunny prize' at St Paul's Church in Worcester and had the joy of collecting a large knitted bunny to take home.

After taking ownership of his fluffy rabbit, he's now gone and given it the name 'Adrian', after the leaders of the city and county councils, Monsieurs Gregson and Hardman respectively.

Does he consult the bunny before deciding which way to vote?

* IT wasn't that long ago that Worcester MP Robin Walker was referred to in these hallowed pages as 'Rebel Walker' because of his unnerving ability to go against the party line.

But it doesn't look as though David Cameron has noticed much judging by this past week.

The MP took advantage of an invite to Chequers on Monday, the Prime Minister's spectacular country retreat, to enjoy the May sunshine with the premier himself and a few other parliamentarians.

Mr Cameron invites selected backbenchers to enjoy the grace-and-favour mansion every now and then, a trip seen as a rare treat to be cherished forever for those lucky enough to get the call.

While he was there he got chatting to Henry Bellingham, Tory MP for North West Norfolk, who told our Robin it was his first ever invite to Chequers despite 31 years service in parliament.

Maybe our MP could be going places faster than we think.

* GRUMP of the week award goes to Councillor Bob Banks, who hardly ever gets any so-called bad press, ever.

The veteran Tory was at County Hall on Tuesday to question Worcestershire County Council's incoming chief executive Clare Marchant on her vision for the future.

Given that she'll be responsible for well over 3,500 jobs, a £330 million yearly budget and life-and-death services like children and adult's social care, not to mention schools, you'd think it was the perfect chance to throw the new boss some probing questions on behalf of his constituents.

Instead, he chose to ask why the council's spin doctors can't conjure up more positive press coverage, claiming too much of it is overly negative and how she'd seek to change that.

Did he get out the wrong side of bed?