´óÏó´«Ã½

Twelve days away and I seem to have missed quite a bit - moral: don't leave the office.

First story was Cornwall Council's announcing, more than two weeks after the event, that 10 out of 12 members of the Miscellaneous Licensing Committee had visited T2 (Temptations 2) in Plymouth's Union Street. This sex education tour of a lap dancing club took place on 29th June, and was clearly such a success that the councillors had to visit twice (OK, actually it was in two groups of five.)

I'm sure we're all relieved that, according to the press release, the councillors "kept expenses to a minimum and carried out the fact finding mission in a strictly professional manner."

The second story has absolutely no connection to the first. It concerns Cornwall councillor Bill Jenkin, who on Friday was charged with two offences of sexual assault and one of common assault. According to the police statement:

"The two counts of sexual assault relate to incidents against two women aged 43 years and 65 years, and the count of common assault against a woman aged 39 years."

Councillor Jenkin, aged 79, resigned as a member of the Devon and Cornwall police authority. Cornwall Council's website has been updated since I went on holiday and no longer lists him as a Conservative - his party affiliation is now "unspecified" - and it appears he is no longer a member of the council's Standards Committee, or indeed any other committee. He is due to appear before West Cornwall magistrates on 5th August.