Mr. Kim Ryley, chief executive of the Hull City Council - that's the man who tells the people we elect what they can and can't do in our name - earns £2000 per annum more than the Prime Minster of our proud nation. Not bad, eh?

We used to pay a bloke a tidy sum to sell the world on the delights of Kingston upon Hull; publicity officer, or some such title. I don't know if he's still on the payroll, he certainly keeps a low profile if he is. The great thing about this bloke was he wouldn't live in Hull, preferring a billet somewhere in Lancashire, which suggests to me that his heart wasn't really in his job.