WHAT do Jimi Hendrix, O. J. Simpson and the suspended Labour leader of Waltham Forest council have in common? Correct. They have all called on the services of media alchemist, Max Clifford, the man who can turn adversity into celebrity gold with a quick flick through his contacts book.
Tony Buckley, the latest of the three to join Mr Clifford’s star-studded client list, was suspended by the national Labour Party over his failure to turn around the London borough council after a damaging performance rating by the Audit Commission.
The Municipal Journal (July 31) reports that Mr Buckley’s decision to turn to the king of spin to defend himself against the allegations is thought to be a first for local government.
And with the gap separating mere mortals from the celebrity firmament apparently narrowing all the time, it may come as no surprise that Doncaster’s Mayor, Martin Winter, is going to drama school.
A council spokesman told BBC News Online (July 31) that as “the leading ambassador for Doncaster”, the mayor has to polish up his voice projection and presentation skills. But taxpayers may think that doing so at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is another fine example of celebrity excess.
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More unlikely luvvies are emerging, meanwhile, in the pit town of Castleford, where the council has agreed to let Channel 4 organise and film a series of regeneration projects.
The company responsible for Grand Designs and Property Ladder is behind the scheme, and New Start (August 1) reports that Talkback Productions had to work hard to convince the council that it would “not simply MDF the town centre and disappear again”. They also had to drop their original title: The Regeneration Game.