The news that the National Labour Party is to draft in a full time, Labour Party paid spin doctor to help run Luton Council has been greeted with derision by opposition Liberal Democrat councillors. Francis Steer, leaflet writer, campaigns organiser and full time Labour Party employee is to be installed in Luton Town Hall to help organise the Labour group of councillors and to spin stories for the local media to make the Labour run Council look good.

Liberal Democrat opposition leader councillor David Franks says he is outraged that a paid party political employee is to be involved in shaping the way important Council services are to be run.

“All elected councillors and MPs listen to the members of their respective political parties” he said. “We all use active party members as sounding boards for ideas and they put their own ideas to us. But there should be a very clear divide between elected members delivering vital services to vulnerable people and the purely Party Political advice and assistance they receive from their Party. To have a full time, paid, Political Labour Party employee sitting in the Town Hall telling them what to do is an outrage.”

“It has been clear for some time that the part-time Council leader cannot cope and needs some help but now it looks like even the National Party just does not trust the local Labour team to do the job properly.”