ELECTION fever is about to grip Worcestershire County Council, but is the pressure leading to a few marbles being lost?

Here's the Labour group room at County Hall, and that's a Dalek, presumably looking to exterminate any mutant lurking in the corridors of power.

After the group's last two mascots, an Ed Miliband cardboard cut-out and a cuddly bear called 'Jeremy' were nicked, what hope for the Big Red Dalek?

* IT might be the beating heart of quintessential England, but confusion ran amok at Worcester's Guildhall this week when the American flag was spotted flying on top of the building.

It wasn't a Donald Trump takeover, or an 'up yours' to the EU, but a goodwill gesture to some American visitors who Councillor Paul Denham, the Mayor of Worcester, was hosting inside the venue.

* IT'S often said that local government needs to roar again, it needs to find its old fighting spirit - but Worcester City Council's new managing director may just provide it.

Former economic chief David Blake, who was promoted to the £105,000-a-year role on Tuesday, happens to be a huge fan of Millwall Football Club.

* FOR those keeping tabs on the city council's ongoing squabble over its use of consultants, a titbit on how Mr Blake was appointed may be of interest.

A briefing note for councillors, circulated this week, stated that the authority was "assisted by recruitment consultants, Gatenby Sanderson".

The Leeds-based firm, which boasts on its website of being able to find "exceptional people", saw profits leap a whopping 20 per cent to £5 million in its last set of accounts.

* WE all know the Malvern Hills is world famous, but are its townspeople prepared for an invasion of excited Malaysians?

MP Harriett Baldwin, spending some time in Malaysia with its Prime Minister Najib Razak last week, handed him a picture of the hills which was then 'tweeted' to his 3.3 million followers.

For those not in the know Mr Razak, who was also given a letter from Theresa May, happens to be a graduate of Malvern College, spending three years there from 1968 aged just 14.

* CONSERVATIVE Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin visited Worcestershire last week for a fundraising bash to help Worcester's Tory association.

Funnily enough the last time he was here was almost exactly two years ago as Transport Secretary, in April 2015, after being invited to see the congestion on Carrington Bridge for himself.

Two years on, with an answer over a £70 million dualling bid due this summer, let's hope his successor Chris Grayling doesn't let us down.