The former major had lost not only the town but the state and the council claimed there was no paper record.

They'd been through the fire and were still standing; that was more than the Council could claim.

The answer is 'no', and the Council cannot claim otherwise.

The council claims that 164 bird species have been recorded on the site since 1985.

That means another £440,000 - because of cutbacks, money the council claims it doesn't have.

The Council claims that they are committed to diversity of their membership.

The council claims it can no longer afford to run or improve its own residential care homes.

The council also claims the scheme goes against some countryside protection policies.

But such cases were not, as the council claimed, the result of slack administration by the chief steward.

The council claims more than 100 traders have joined its initiative, launched in 1990.