LIKE many townsfolk, The Knutsfordian is feeling jaded after a rainy, damp January which, thankfully, comes to an end this week as we start February.

The Knutsfordian notes the Artisan Market is back in town on Sunday with the blessing of Ms Mary ‘call me High Street’ Portas.

The minds behind the market have been named runner-up in her High Street Champion of the Year Award, part of The Daily Telegraph’s Reinventing the High Street Campaign.

Supporting the Artisan Market was something Knutsford Town Council definitely got right.

Talking of councils (how The Knutsfordian wishes he could avoid talking about them week after week as yet another daft/annoying/ludicrous policy/decision/comment emanates from either Knutsford Town Council or Cheshire East Council), this week The Knutsfordian was amazed to find out CEC has a Citizens Panel.

Called Influence Cheshire East, the panel comprises 3,000 randomly-selected citizens from across the borough who ‘help inform the council’s decision-making and monitor performance’.

Panel members ‘have the opportunity to influence services such as education, social care, waste collection and the environment’.

The Knutsfordian assumes the panel was not asked about scrapping the green bin collections over winter!

Apparently, Cheshire East Council is ‘committed to the Government’s ‘Localism’ agenda, which puts strong emphasis on involving local people in the development of local services’.

The panel ‘will ensure residents have a loud and clear voice that will help shape the council’s policies and priorities’.

If all this is so, then why do we have Cheshire East councillors? Surely they are meant to represent us in this very way?

Or is this Clr Michael Jones’ way of continuing to set the agenda without recourse to his councillors?

The Knutsfordian refers his reader to the no/yes fracking debacle of last week when Clr Jones declared, in writing, that CEC wasn’t having any fracking before backtracking.

PS My dear friend George Osborne has been in the tabloids once again over his personal financial arrangements. This time our parsimonious Chancellor has negotiated an excellent mortgage rate, thought to be two per cent, on the £4 million home he rents out at £10,000 per month while he is ensconced in 11 Downing Street. The Knutsfordian congratulates George on his acumen but now hopes he will let the rest of us know how to get such a low mortgage rate.

PPS The Knutsfordian notes it is again time for Knutsfordians to nominate their Community Hero 2014. The Knutsfordian’s loyal following must note that due to his connection with Newsquest, the Knutsfordian must rule himself out of the competition. Make sure you nominate a real community hero.