So the Rat and Mouse's switchboard and email client are both blowing up right now with one and only one incoming story... and it's the story of Prescott's council tax bill. Once again, a quick explanation for our foreign readers: John Prescott is the Deputy Prime Minister and should know the council tax rules pretty well - because he's in charge of them. So it's with a certain cynicism that we read his apology for using a total of £3,830.52 of public money to pay the council tax on his Admiralty House apartment. Apparently, he'd thought he was paying council tax... More, here and here and here and...

New Year linkage - Prescott's eye in the sky [January 3]
Pervy councillors to photograph your underwear drawer [November 15]
Government's freebie housing round-up [May 9]