ANYTHING that enjoys "cross-party support" is worthy of the utmost suspicion. That is certainly true of the universal acclaim afforded to the appointment of political assistants to York city councillors.

The Labour group has advertised in both The Guardian and The Observer for a political assistant, at a cost to the public purse of up to £18,000. You might think the opposition would savage such a profligate waste of taxpayers' money. Alas, they are in on it too.

The three party leaders spoke with one voice in the Evening Press last night. Personal assistants were, they agreed, the best thing since councillor salaries. The more they blustered, the more unconvincing they sounded.

First up was a rather disappointed Coun John Galvin. Unfortunately, he doesn't qualify for a personal assistant. It is rather like the old Co-op stamps scheme but with votes; collect enough stamps and you could send off for a wooden cruet set. Collect enough votes and you can send off for a brand-new assistant, yours to cherish forever.

With only two fellow Tory councillors for company, Mr Galvin is way short of the total votes required. He is most put out.

Queuing alongside him to endorse the scheme is Liberal Democrat leader Steve Galloway. This party is already the proud owner of an assistant. Being a Lib Dem, he is no doubt used to fence-sitting. That is useful experience considering the balancing act he is supposed to perform.

"Our assistant gives a fresh and independent look at proposals that come forward," Mr Galloway enthused. But then he added: "It is certainly not part of his job to give a viewpoint."

In other words the perky young lad is an advisor who can't advise. Well worth the price of a senior nurse.

Finally, along comes Labour leader Rod Hills. In defence of the assistant he hopes to recruit, he said: "It is important that members are kept very well informed of what is going on."

The Evening Press keeps the council informed of what is going on, for 32p a day. Fat lot of good that does. The defining characteristic of this council is its belligerent dismissal of awkward information or dissenting public opinion.

If councillors want facts, they should consult the large number of specialist and experienced council officers. If councillors want spin doctors, they should pay for them out of party funds.

But by spending up to £36,000 on personal assistants, the politicians are making it clear where their priorities lie.

No matter that the social services budget is so empty that elderly people are left to languish in hospital beds without a home to go to. Forget the fact that the council has such a lack of financial control that the housing budget is overspent by more than £300,000 and the Canon Lee School expansion is overspent by £400,000. Instead, let's splash out on personal assistance and lap top computers.

This is not public service. It's public self-service.

RATHER like a touring theatre production in reverse, William Hague has left London to wow the provinces. It's the best idea he's had all year.

Anywhere above the M25 is a foreign land as far as most of Britain's ruling elite is concerned. Tony Blair didn't give a stuff about the petrol crisis when York was out of gas, and only started panicking when the South-East started running on empty.

The national newspapers and broadcasters have gone crazy for the worst floods down south for 40 years. Compare that to the derisory 1999 coverage of the worse floods to hit Ryedale in 70 years.

So any politician who draws attention to the world outside Islington deserves some credit. It is just a pity it is not a more credible figure than Billy Fizz.