WORCESTER'S two main political parties are as far apart as they've ever been on this privatisation of bin rounds lark - think of the distance from the UK to Australia and you're about there.

But amid the Tory/Labour stand-off consider this from the city's lone Liberal Democrat, Councillor Liz Smith.

She has a daughter living in southern Ireland, where no councils actually empty bins at all.

In the rainy Emerald Isle it's all done privately, with householders going out every month or so and paying for stickers to plaster on their bins to signal they need clearing out.

Apparently it works quite well, with Liz telling us "there's more than one way to skin a cat".

Let's not tell the Government about this, ok!

* THE Sun newspaper had a weird and wonderful take on the Autumn Statement yesterday, dressing up George Osborne as a joyous Santa bearing festive gifts.

But it's hardly feeling like Christmas inside our councils, with local politicians at severe risk of taking the brunt of £60 billion in fresh spending cuts by 2019-20, plunging the public sector into a squeeze unseen since the 1930s.

Understatement of the week, therefore, goes to Councillor Simon Geraghty, city council leader and deputy up at County Hall, who told The Source (two days before George's intervention) that he "can't see local government funding going up" in future years.

You don't say. Ho, ho ho.

* TALKING about tabloids, one of Worcester's sons made the front page of The Mirror this week, with MP Stephen Dorrell dragged over the coals for carrying on in parliament while landing a second job with KPMG, which is in the frame for a £1 billion health contract.

Mr Dorrell was born in Worcester and still leaves near Rainbow Hill.

Incidentally his dear mother is still a member of the city's Conservative association, where she is described as "formidable" by local Tories.

* CULTURE Secretary Sajid Javid knows how to party - at a pre-election dinner tonight at Hagley Hall disgraced perjurer Jeffrey Archer is popping along as speaker.

Cheese and pineapple sticks, Mr Archer?