RED-FACED council chiefs have been forced to abandon plans to buy themselves luxury yuppie yearbooks - thanks to your crusading Citizen.

Last week we reported that Lancaster City Council was considering spending more than £700 on Filofax organisers for each and every member.

And before the councillors had time to digest their agendas, they were bombarded with calls from angry voters who had read of the planned spending spree in the paper.

At a stormy committee meeting, angry members - brandishing copies of this newspaper - demanded that the plan be reconsidered.

Liberal Democrat councillor Dexter Bracey received a number of complaints and opposed the scheme.

He said at the meeting: "We should ask members what they would find useful. It would be a complete waste of money if people left these folders at home because they weren't prepared to use them."

The row which ensued included complaints from Cllr Sybil Rostron that a Filofax would not fit into her handbag.

She added that if members wanted an organiser, they should buy their own from their £30 monthly allowance given to cover costs of stationary and telephone calls.

But committee chairman Cllr Abbott Bryning was furious and claimed the plan to buy designer diaries at a cost of of more than £700 had been blown out of all proportion by the press.

He said: "There's a great fuss and bother as if this is going to cost an enormous amount of money."

Cllr Joyce Taylor claimed the cheapest option would be best and most others were forced to agree and it was decided to look for a cheaper deal.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.