Boris' bunting backlash from Richmond Council

Earlier this week I reported on Boris Johnson's silly decision to give each borough £50,000 to decorate streets during the 2012 Olympics, which seems intended to be bread and circuses for the recession.

It's like a jobseekers' allowance claimant spending his weekly payment on posters and adult magazines instead of food and other essentials. But it's one law for those on JSA and another for London's Mayor.

One London council - just one - has criticised this waste of money.

Richmond Council says it will be giving “careful consideration” to what would be best for the borough, and highlights that £50,000 is “a considerable sum in these frugal times”.

A council spokesman told the Richmond Guardian: "Maybe the Mayor would like to consider offering us an additional £50,000 to spend in on additional street cleaning during the course of the games, in particular to those boroughs which host events such as the road races which may well generate extra rubbish on our streets, notwithstanding our best efforts."

One of the commentators on the Liberal Conspiracy post about Boris' bunting splurge says:

"Agree this is a total waste of money. However a drop in the ocean when compared to the total cost of the Olympics.

"Ideas such as holding the three day event in Greenwich park requiring substantial alterations and damage to the park which will then be put back after the games when we have a perfectly good facility at Badminton is far more wasteful."